When It Rains
by Lastoftheamericandreamers
Summary: Amedoru (Raindance) Hatake is Kakashi's 12 year old sister, who happens to be best friends with Shikamaru. While she works to become a great Shinobi, she'll have to face a secret thats been kept in the shadows. With help from the ones she loves, she'll learn to truly find herself, and maybe learn a thing or two about life in the process. Reviews appreciated
1. Enter: Amedoru Hatake!

_"Come child...come to me...come and release me" _ _Here we go again _I thought. I've heard this voice almost every night since I was five years old. I suppose its part of a nightmare, but when I wake up I can only remember that voice..and sometimes a big pair of golden eyes. When I was younger, I would go into my big brothers room and lie down with him until I felt better, but now I either sit outside or take walks through the small forest behind our house. Other times I meditate, focusing my chakra into flowing steadily from one body part to the next. The voice from my dreams doesn't sound threatening, but it still gives me the shivers. I stopped telling my brother about the voice a long time ago so he wouldn't worry, but every now and then he'll ask me about it. Sometimes I get the feeling that he doesn't really believe me when I tell him I don't hear them anymore.

Right now I'm sitting on the window ledge staring out into the faint line of trees illuminated with moonlight. Everything is still and quiet, but if I focus really hard I can hear light snoring coming from my brothers room down the hall. I smile to myself because usually he doesn't get a whole lotta sleep for various reasons. Scanning the forest-line again I notice a shadowy figure half hiding behind a tree. I lean forward trying to get a better look when something pops up in front of me. "Ah!" I crash to the ground, pulling my intruder with me. Thanks to the moonlight I can finally get a good look at his face. "Wow I think I'm losin it. Shoulda known it was you, Shikamaru." His lip turns up at one corner of his mouth into a smirk. "If I was really an attacker, you'd be dead". He helps me up and we both turn to look at my bedroom door, expecting my brother to fly in with all his ninja fury. We hear him turning over in bed before everything is quiet again. Gee, I really would be dead. "Couldn't sleep?" I asked Shikamaru. "Not really. I got bored. Lets go do something." I knew we had class tomorrow, but Shikamaru and I have been doing this kind of thing for a long time . Though usually he doesn't just pop up at my window. "Alright." After I slip on some shoes and make sure a few weapons and such are intact, I walk down the hall to my brothers room with Shikamaru behind me with his hands in his pockets. I push open the door softly, releasing the breath I had been holding when I see that my brother is still asleep on his side. "Mmm..Amedoru... don't stay out too late. And tell Shikamaru I say the front door still works." He says just as I'm about to turn around and leave. Shikamaru lets out an "Hmph." "Don't worry, Kakashi. I wont be long."

People say I look a lot like Kakashi, especially Gai-sensei, which is kinda funny because I don't think anyone's ever seen my brother without his mask on. Kakashi and I share the same spiky, silvery-grey hair, though I let mine grow to a little past my shoulders with bangs to frame my face on either side. I also have this stubborn cowlick on the back of my head that refuses to be pat down or smoothed over. Aside from that we both have the same onyx eyes with tiny specks of grey in them. I really don't remember much of my dad, or my mom for that matter. Kakashi told me dad died when I was around four years old, making Kakashi 13, and that mom died right after I was born. Ever since then Kakashi's been raising me on his own. Even though he and I don't spend much time together, I know he loves me. When he has time, he'll train with me and help me out with some jutsu techniques I have trouble with. Other times we find a spot to sit down and read together, me having a different book because according to Kakashi, I "wont understand what the story is really about." The one thing that makes our bond different from most people is the fact that we can feel each others pain. Literally. There are only a few people who know about it, like Shikamaru and a few of Kakashi's friends. None of us know why, or how it happens though, except for the fact that it only happens when one of us is seriously injured. For example, when I was seven years old, I accidentally walked right into a trap hidden under a pile of leaves, getting my leg broken as a result . Kakashi had come running, explaining to a panicking Shikamaru that he knew something was up as soon as he felt the burning in his leg. After getting it bandaged up at the hospital, Kakashi piggy-backed me home, telling stories to help me forget the pain. If I had to pick one person to be the one who I admire most, it would, without a doubt, be Kakashi. I hope one day I can be a great ninja, and even a great person like him.

As for Shikamaru, well he's my very best friend. I wont deny it, he's lazy and kinda complains a lot, but that's just a part of who he is, and he changes for nobody. It's one of the things I admire about him. I guess I can say that we balance each other out, learning things from each other in doing so. I can always count on him to be there for me, and I know he knows that I'm always gunna be there for him. We've been best friends since we were six, ever since we started the academy. We usually spend most of our time together, whether it be lying down in the field watching clouds, or running around Konoha doing whatever. Every now and then he'll challenge me to a game of Shogi, which he always wins at. He's got one of the most intelligent and strategic minds out there. If I could sum up our friendship in one word, it would be this : Infinite.

I make sure to lock the front door on our way out, breathing in a lungful of the steady night air. I didn't get a chance to look at the clock before we left the house, but I'm guessing its around 2:00 am. I don't have any idea where Shikamaru and I are going, but its something I've gotten used to. Whenever we take walks like this, its usually to nowhere in particular. We walk until we decide its time to go home and retrace our footsteps to get back. On occasion we also like to go down to the lake to skip rocks and watch this family of ducks that have a nest inside a small cave by the embankment. There's four of them, including the mother. They never show themselves during the daytime, which is really weird, so Shikamaru and I try to get a good look at them in the nighttime when they all waddle out from their nest to play in the water. There's one duckling that stands out from the rest. While the others are a frosty white, he's a dark, chocolaty brown. He rarely joins the rest of his family in the water, instead opting for sitting on the embankment, watching. I think he's afraid of the water. One day I hope Shikamaru and I will get to see him face his fear.

There are a few lights on along the street, and a few shops are still illuminated and open for business. Our walk is silent until Shikamaru says "You were up because of that voice again, huh?" He was the only one that knew about it aside from Kakashi. "Yeah. I've been fine for about three days until tonight." I look up and see two moths fluttering under one of the streetlights. "You make it sound like there's something wrong with you." Shikamaru says, and I make a small sound somewhere between a laugh and a scoff. " I've been hearing voices since I was five. Of course there's something wrong with me." Shikamaru thinks a moment before answering. " Well, I guess we're all just a little crazy then." One of my favorite shops is still open, and Shikamaru and I walk inside before ordering a hot chocolate that's always available no matter what the season is. We've been here so many times that we always get our drinks for half price. I think over what Shikamaru told me about hearing the voices before raising my mug up to him. "To my best friend, who is wise beyond his years." He smirks before lifting his cup to meet mine. "Hear, hear, young silkworm." And as our mugs clink together I think to myself that I would wither away if I didn't have Shikamaru. After we finished our hot chocolate, we walked around some more, deciding to head back when the big clock that stands by a small bookshop tells us its almost four o'clock. Shikamaru walks me to the door, letting out a big yawn as soon as I unlock it. "Wanna sleep over? We're both gunna have to get up in a couple hours anyway." "Sure" he says before following me inside. He shuffles kinda slowly towards my dads old room, stopping routinely to get an extra blanket from the shelf next to the bathroom. I peek inside Kakashi's to check on him. He looks like he's asleep but I know he can still hear me. "I'm back, bro." He gives me a thumbs up before telling me good night.

My dreams are free of voices the rest of the night.


	2. A conversation in the brush

I've been awake for at least twenty minutes, although I have no intention of getting up because I am way too comfortable. I forgot about leaving my window open a bit from last night, and I smile when a cool breeze blows across my forehead. From the birds chirping outside to the soft, lavender/orange light that shines in subtle rays on the floor, I can tell today is gunna be a good one. I close my eyes for maybe a fraction of a second before someone gives a quick knock outside my door before coming in. Kakashi is fully dressed, clucking at me with his tongue when he sees that I'm still in bed. I wonder if Shikamaru is up. Probably not. "What happened to you promising to get up earlier?" Kakashi asks me.

"I don't remember making that promise." I mumble. He walks over to me before peeling the covers off swiftly, and I turn over on my other side and curl my body with my knees brought up, kind of like a rollie- pollie. Kakashi sighs. "Exactly." He doesn't say anything more for a minute, so I assume that he left. All of a sudden I am so shocked by the hands that tickle my sides that I let out a loud shriek. I try to re-curl myself even tighter, but I honestly have to say that I am completely at Kakashi's mercy. I can even hear him chuckling. Footsteps come rushing down the hall, and Shikamaru slides to a stop in the doorway, clutching the frame to stop him from falling on his face. His dark grey eyes are big until he relaxes, his face drawing back into his usual bored expression. "Can't a guy wake up to at least_ one_ peaceful morning?" I knew he was joking, even if his face remained stoic. I guess Kakashi knew it too, because after un-curling me for the last time , he stood up and said with an eye smile " Would hash browns make it better?" Shikamaru's left eyebrow twitched before his mouth lifted in a tiny smirk. "I think that would do just fine." If there's one food that Shikamaru and I absolutely love, its hash browns. And Kakashi can make 'em mean too.

Shikamaru and I sit on the window seat while Kakashi moves everywhere around our small kitchen. After a few minutes he peeks his head around the corner and calls "Come get it!" Shikamaru and I practically leap of the ledge and barrel into the kitchen, Kakashi handing us our plates before he follows us with his own. He takes a seat on the floor in front of us with his legs crossed. We all talk about random things, such as what we think the day is going to be like, who can eat their food the fastest, and what's going on in the village, etc. Its the small stuff like this that makes me love life. Come to think of it, this is usually how our mornings usually start- with all of us together. Kakashi points out Shikamaru's slight bed- head, and the creases in his mask tell me he's smiling. I remember how Kakashi used to not like the idea of Shikamaru spending the night, because even though he's my best friend, he's still a guy. My brother is always lecturing me about "boys with their ulterior motives" and whatnot. After all this time though, he's gotten used to it. We eat our breakfast quickly, and after putting our dishes in the sink Shikamaru and I dash out the door, Kakashi giving me a quick hair ruffle on my way out. The academy isn't all that far from the house...that is, if you run. We have a brief talk with some of our classmates along the way, and they all look just as tired as I feel. We make it in a couple minutes before Iruka- Sensei, and Shikamaru gives my side a nudge with his elbow.

Most of us in this class are on the way to becoming Genin-ninja. My eyes land on Naruto, who's eating a bowl of ramen. How he got that in here, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, I love that boy. There's just something about him that's always made me feel like we're connected or something. I admire him a lot, his strength and courage is the kind that makes other people feel strong too. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that he is one of the best pranksters in the whole village. Naruto turns around in his seat and gives me a cheeky smile with his mouth full of ramen, and I wave to him, feeling my own mouth pulling up into a smile of my own. "Naruto! Get rid of that food!" Iruka-Sensei shouts, and Naruto manages one more bite of ramen before its taken away. His mouth turns down at the corners into a frown. Shikamaru gives a small snort beside me. "As you all know, each beginning ninja is assigned to a team. These teams usually consist of three members, two boy and one girl. Before all that happens though, some of us-" Iruka-Sensei glances at Naruto- "need to work a bit harder with some of the jutsu techniques." Kiba, who sits in the row in front of me, nudged the guy next to him, all the while making faces at Naruto. There's no doubt he was talking about him. Come to think of it, practically everyone in the room was staring at him...and for some reason I'm starting to feel angry. What gives them the right to judge what they can't understand? The remainder of class is spent working on any jutsu that gives us trouble, or any jutsu we want. We're allowed to go outside, and I take a deep breath as soon as I walk out the door. Shikamaru and I find a spot to practice near a cluster of trees, and Shikamaru leans against one of the trunks. Looking around the field, I notice that everyone is in some kind of group...except Naruto, who's half hidden by some bushes. I take a step forward when my body comes to a jerking stop. I look down, and sure enough, I'm caught in Shikamaru's shadow trap. "Gotcha" He says. I roll my eyes, but smile nonetheless. "Hey, I'll be back. Im gunna talk to Naruto. Shikamaru nods, and as I walk away I see Choji walk towards him.

As I get closer to the bush I can hear Naruto grunting. As soon as I part some of the foliage with my hand, Naruto comes into full view. His eyes are squeezed shut and his forehead shines with sweat. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yells, and a cloud of smoke appears wit ha loud POOF!. When it clears another version of Naruto takes its place, and I smile to myself. This jutsu in particular has always given him trouble. Naruto opens his eyes slowly and lets out a loud cheer when he sees that his clone is still standing..but all of a sudden it wavers before disappearing, shredding itself into the air. Naruto lets out a soft "Oh.." and his shoulders slump forward. I step through the bush towards him. "You almost had it" He jumps a little before reaching a hand to the back of his head. "Oh hey Amedoru...didn't know you were there. How long have you been watching me?" he asks with a nervous laugh. "Not very long." A small moment of uncomfortable silence surrounds us, becoming interrupted when a black bird shoots out of the treetops. A few leaves flutter to the ground, and I bend over to pick one up. "Don't get too discouraged, Naruto. It just takes time. Not to mention focus." Shikamaru calls my name "Amedoru! C'mon!" I tuck the leaf behind my ear and turn to leave. " I'll see ya later, okay?" Naruto's arm returns to his side as he gives me a big smile. "Sure thing! And uh..thanks."

Usually whenever classes are over for the day, Shikamaru and I get food from the Rice Shop and take it to the field to eat. Then afterwards we lie on our backs and watch the clouds. In spite of the nice morning we had, however, the sky was now turning into a slate grey. We decide to eat inside the shop this time before heading home. We always take turns walking the other home, and tonight was my turn. I peek my head inside the front door of the Nara home and say a quick "Hey" to Shikamaru's mom who invites me inside. This actually leads me into staying an hour late. Before I go she wraps some smoked fish for Kakashi. He's probably too tired to have cooked anything for himself. I run home, and by the time I get to the front door the sky's turned into an even darker shade of grey. Kakashi is sitting in the armchair in the living room reading his _Itcha Itcha _book, though he closes it and puts it away as soon as he sees me. "I was beginning to get a little worried." He says. I sit on the arm of the chair and hand him the fish. "Sorry I'm home late. Shikamaru's mom made this for you though." Kakashi turns in after he's done eating, giving me a pat on the head as he gets out of the armchair. I crawl in the chair to take his place and notice the orange book sunk a little into the chair cushion. I raise an eyebrow and reach for it, but just when my fingers are about to touch it my brothers voice carries down the hall:

"Don't even think about it!"


	3. Empty bed: Training and the Nara house

Saturday:

I take my brothers advice and wake up early today. As soon as my feet touch the ground I let out a long yawn and crane my head to look out the window at the orange sky. I have a big test to take on Monday, the one that, if passed, will make me an official Genin. I get dressed and walk to the kitchen to make a quick breakfast for my brother. _I hope he's here _I think as I approach his bedroom door with a bowl of rice and sushi in my hand. The door's opened a little, and peachy light shoots out in a ray from the small crack. "Kakashi?" I ask as I push the door all the way open, the light enveloping me fully. After I walk inside and pull the curtain back over the window I look at Kakashi's bed and let out a small sigh. Of course he isn't there. His covers are folded neatly at the end of the bed and his pillows are propped. Despite the absence of a note telling me where Kakashi is, I already know without needing one.

_Flashback:_

_It was early in the morning when I heard Kakashi moving around in his room. I got out of bed and crept quietly down the hall, pausing to peek inside his room. He was fully dressed, aside from a glove that he was pulling on. I assumed he was going out to train, or maybe meet up with Guy-Sensei or something, but if he was then why was he leaving through his window? I thought only Shikamaru and I did that. Being in my pajamas didn't stop me from following after him, waiting a good couple of minutes after he left. As I weaved through the treetops I made sure to keep the back of my brother's Jounin jacket always in my sight. And the only thing I could think was: Where is he going? All of a sudden he came to a stop so abrupt I almost fell off the tree branch. Thank goodness he had taught me to control my chakra through my feet. I hid halfway behind the trunk with my heart racing. To be honest, I was expecting something bad. Peeking around the trunk, my eyes fell at the sight of my brother. Standing alone at the Memorial Stone. He didn't move for a long time, just stood there staring at the thing. I was starting to get worried about him. I hopped down from the tree and began making my way towards my brother. I was doing pretty good at keeping my footsteps nice and quiet, but as soon as I took another step a trig cracked beneath me. Kakashi turned his head to the side just as I cursed. __"Language" He said, though his voice was...empty sounding. I went to stand beside him." Sorry... how long have you been coming here?" I asked. With his eyes focused again on the big stone, he just shrugged his shoulders and said "A long time." I knew what the Memorial Stone was for, and it took me a second to put the pieces together. He was here for Obito. I'm too young to remember anything about Kakashi's two teammates, but he did tell me a couple stories about them...and a little about that one mission that went terribly wrong, resulting in a death and the replacement of one of my brothers eyes with the Sharingan. I felt my heart clench at the empty look in my brothers uncovered eye, and cautiously grabbed his hand in mine. He stood statue solid, but after a while gave my hand a small squeeze._

I was planning on asking Kakashi to train with me for a few hours, maybe watch me do a couple jutsus and tell me if they were good enough. My shoulders slump forward a little, kind of like Naruto in the bushes yesterday, but I shake off the feeling of disappointment and head outside to train on my own. There's a big tree stump in the backyard that I use for both target, and tai-jutsu practice. I stand at least fifteen meters in front of it before taking out a kunai and throwing it towards the stump, watching as it misses the target by two inches. I keep on throwing until it finally hits the target dead center before backing up five more meters and throwing it. To be honest, It takes me a while to learn things, but once I understand it it becomes easy as breathing. My throwing aim has always been kind of rusty though. Moving on from the kunai-embedded stump, I close my eyes and focus my chakra into creating a few shadow clones. They smile and wave at me before I let them disappear in a poof of smoke. The sun is higher in the sky, meaning that its almost noon, and Kakashi still hasn't come home yet. As I look off into the sky, my senses pick up on something flying straight towards me. I flip backwards just in time to avoid a kunai that lodged itself in a tree behind me. I hop up into a tree, taking shelter in the soft green leaves around me. Sweat runs down my neck even though I don't see anyone else in the field. I half rise before pausing. Someone's behind me. Twisting around, I throw a punch, only to have it blocked. My foot slips off the tree branch, but I manage to regain balance. "Never focus all your attention to the things in front of you. Remember to cover your backside. Otherwise, nice job dodging the kunai" Kakashi says as he lets go of my fist. I nod my head to him, trying to get my breathing under control. _I should've seen that coming. _Kakashi puts his hand on my head. "No need to stress too much over it Ame, with more practice you'll be just fine." "I have that big test on Monday, remember? What if they put me in a position like this? I won't become an official Genin if I fail." I say. "Oh yeah. That's right, huh?" He says nervously. "Hmm..Ill tell you what, how about we go get something to eat, and then we can come back and work on whatever you need to, okay?" I smile really big and tell him about the bowl of rice and sushi I made for him earlier. He gets this weird look in his eye before giving me his famous eye smile. "Well it looks like I owe you then. C'mon, lets go."

True to his word, Kakashi helps me train once we get back from the Ramen Shop. We're working on defensive tai-jutsu right now, and so far I've managed to land a punch and a few kicks here and there on my brother. Its hot outside, and both of us are sweating something fierce, but that only makes me work harder. "Don't leave yourself so open, be flexible, but always remember your defensive position." He instructs me. I try to reach up and give Kakashi an uppercut, but he blocks my arm, so using the other one, I give him a swift jab to the gut. "Nice one" he grunts just as someone runs into the backyard, waving his arm. "Hey! Kakashi! Lord Hokage wants to see us, lets go!" I hear Kakashi sigh before wiping sweat off his forehead. "Be right there!" he says to the guy. "You did well today. Ill see you when I get back." Kakashi tells me before running off, leaving me waving to his retreating figure. "Be careful.."

Whenever Kakashi gets sent on missions, I have to go to either Gai-Sensei's house, or to Shikamaru's. For some reason my brother doesn't like the idea of me staying at home when he's gone..which is kinda weird, if you ask me. Maybe he's worried I'm going to get into his books or something. I finish off my training for the day before going inside to pack three days worth of clothes, all the while trying to decide between going to Gai-Sensei's or to Shikamaru's. Its around seven when I knock on the front door of the Nara home. Shikaku, Shikamaru's dad, opens the door with that stoic expression on his face that seems to run in the Nara family. At least with the men. Once he sees that its me though, he gives me a warm smile before standing to the side, unblocking the doorway. "Well if it isn't Little Hatake. Get inside girly." "Thanks Shikaku." As soon as he shuts the door Shikamaru comes around the corner, barefoot. "He got sent on another mission, huh? Well thank goodness your here. I was just about to walk over to your place." I follow him to the dinner table where his mom hands me a big plate of steaming rice and fish. "Dying of boredom again so soon?" I tease. Shikamaru rolls his eyes at me. "You really need to ask? Besides, I was thinking maybe we could train together or something for that test on Monday." Shikaku and I begin a stare down as we shovel food in our mouths at a sickening speed, Shikamaru's mom rolling her eyes at us as she sits down. Shikamaru, however, begins banging his knife and fork on the table, yelling at me to "Get that elbow grease in!" Those words coming from Shikamaru makes me start laughing really hard, and I begin to choke, causing all three Nara's to rush around the table to my seat and take turns beating me on the back. Once my airway was clear again, I look at the three of them and the bewildered looks on their faces before erupting into gasping laughter again.

Afterwards Shikamaru and I go up to his rooftop to have a quick "battle" against each other. The moon and clouds are to his advantage, leaving me constantly on my toes to avoid his shadow-possession trap. I incorporate the brief tai-jutsu lesson I had with Kakashi earlier today and manage to land some kicks and punches on Shikamaru. And laying on the cool tile with bruises forming on our bodies after we call it quits, I can't help but feel more confident about the test on Monday.


	4. The Genin Test: The First Sign

My eyes open slowly, squinting from the bright morning light that shines directly on my face. My back is stiff, and I have to sit up and look around to remember where I am. Looks like Shikamaru and I passed out after training. I look over and see he's lying on his stomach next to me, his face completely slack. This is one of those rare times when he's completely at ease- when he's asleep. And there's something so...endearing in the way his arms are folded under his head that I almost decide to leave him be. But of course, what kind of a friend would that make me? I get up and stretch before squatting and shaking his shoulder,and he mumbles and tries to swat my arm away a little. "Yeah, yeah I'm coming."

"Well you better hurry up then. We'll never pass that test if we don't make it to the academy on time." I say

"I don't see why they wouldn't let us make it up later." He says as he rolls onto his other side. A comeback that will get him up for sure forms in my mind.

"What if they don't and we have to be stuck there forever?"

"That would be a drag." He replies before he groans and sits up. That stoic, irritated expression back on his face. While Shikamaru rubs the sleep out of his eyes and stretches, I look up at the sky. Whenever Kakashi's on missions I have trouble falling asleep because I'm always worried that he might not come home. Sometimes I'll lie wide awake in bed, staring at the ceiling hoping that I won't get that spontaneous burst of pain telling me there's something wrong with him. But I realize that nothing of the sort happened last night, so my brother's okay. Probably already up and on the move, no doubt. The sound of a window opening brings me out of my thoughts and two bags are tossed up. "Thanks Shikaku!" I say as I hand Shikamaru his bag. "Anytime kid, now get goin!". Without a word Shikamaru and I take off, hopping from roof to roof. There isn't anyone outside the academy, so that means class must have already started. I lead Shikamaru over to the nearest window on our hands and knees, and simultaneously we slowly raise our heads until the classroom comes into view. Iruka-Sensei has his back facing everyone, writing something on the board. Kiba yawns and turns his head (with Akamaru on board, as always) and holds up a finger to us, becoming alert again. Thank goodness too, because at that moment Iruka-Sensei turns around and grabs something off his desk. We wait for for Kiba's signal, and as soon as he nods his head I crawl in as silently as I can with Shikamaru right behind me. Hair falls in my face, but through it all I can make out someone staring at me. Is that Sasuke? Shikamaru and I make it to our seats without a hitch, but just as my heart starts to calm down from this whole experience, Iruka-Sensei turns around with a knowing and stern look on his face.

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this guys, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the class." He says. My heart sinks suddenly in a never ending bottom-less pit. Shikamaru stops breathing. "Wha..what?!" he shouts. Iruka-Sensei turns and faces us fully, pointing a thumb at the window we came through. "The reason is pretty simple. You were late. The both of you." I look at Shikamaru, and I'm pretty sure his horrified expression matches mine exactly. The image of my brothers disappointed face fills up all the space in my mind. The whole class plus Iruka-Sensei is staring at us...until Iruka-Sensei doubles over and starts laughing so hard tears run down his cheeks. "Relax guys, I was just joking. We haven't even started the test yet." Shikamaru's body makes a hard _Thunk _as it hits the back of his chair, and I run a hand through my hair before exhaling through my mouth. "But seriously though, if you want to become Shinobi, you gotta start breaking those bad habits. And we all have them, so this goes out for everyone in this room." Sensei says as he wipes a stray tear from his face. "Well, since all of you are here now I'll go ahead and explain the test. We'll call you in one by one and have you perform a justu of our choice. Afterwards, you'll be taken outside so we can get a look at your fighting and throwing skills. I wish you all the best of luck." He picks up a file from his desk before pulling out a sheet of paper.

"All right, the test has officially begun. The rest of you just wait here. Choji if you'll follow me please."

* * *

Its a while before Iruka-Sensei comes back, and when he calls my name and smiles at me, I feel my legs go a little weak from nerves. Before I get up, though, Shikamaru bumps his shoulder against mine and gives me a reassuring nod. I step into the hallway and Iruka-Sensei shuts the door behind us. He leads me into a room before taking a seat behind a desk with two other Jounin. Sensei hands over my file to them, and the man currently reading it raises his eyebrows. "Amedoru Hatake, huh? So that makes you Kakashi's little sister. This should be interesting" he says. Iruka-Sensei takes the file back. "Okay, Amedoru. To pass this stage of the test all you have to do is perform the transformation jutsu in my image." I nod my head and close my eyes, feeling the familiar warmth of my chakra as it swirls around inside. Before I know it the smoke from the jutsu clears and Iruka-Sensei gives me a thumbs up. "Nice work. You can go on ahead outside." I peek over my shoulder before walking out the door and see a big "PASSED" stamped onto my file.

I wonder why there isn't anyone else in the field, like an instructor or somebody. There's a wooden dummy set up in the middle,and it suddenly comes to me that I'm being monitored from afar. I take a deep breath before throwing my kunai at it, watching as they hit the target with aim decent enough to get rid of my nerves. A poof of white smoke appears and the Jounin that looked at my file steps forward with a clipboard in his hand. "Nice work. You may proceed to the last stage of the test." He presses a stamper to my file and disappears, giving me a small smile before he leaves. _The last stage, huh. Well alrighty then._ I look at the dummy and almost take a step back. Instead of solid wood, the form of my brother's in its place. It's like being brought back to the other day when he was helping me train, and the short amount of time I had to train with him all comes back, and I charge forward, playing his instructions and advice over in my mind. The cloud of white smoke appears again, clearing to show all three instructors . They each examine the dummy, and Iruka-Sensei lightly touches the splintered crater that used to be the its midsection. _I don't remember doing that...do I? I mean..I think I remember landing a kick with my leg...but if so, why doesn't it hurt? Wait a minute, is the crater smoking?! _I step forward to try and get a better look, but all three instructors move in front of it, gesturing to it, and even to me at one point.

"Amedoru Hatake" Iruka-Sensei says as he moves from in front of the dummy. It disappears along with the other two instructors.

"Y-Yes sir?"

"Congratulations, you pass!" But even as he tells me this with a big smile on his face, I can't ignore the contemplative look in his eyes. Like he's worried about something.

I help Shikamaru tie on his headband, but it looks weird when its worn the traditional way, so after a moment of thinking I take it off and retire it around his arm. He looks at it thoughtfully before a satisfied smile appears on his lips. I look around at all the other new Genin around me, taking in the sound of their laughter and animation as they clutch their headbands. Looking over to the trees, I see it's a different story with Naruto. He's sitting on a lone swing tied a bit recklessly on a branch that hangs low, looking at us before his whole head hangs down, that familiar shoulder-slump accompanying it. A soft sigh escapes me. As if he heard me, Naruto's head snaps up, and I smile at him, hoping that it conveys my encouragement to him, and realizing that it did when as he smiles back at me softly.

* * *

"She doesn't look like much, but it seems like there's something about that Amedoru. I mean, did you see what she did to that dummy with one move?" Iruka looked at his fellow Jounin beside him before folding his hands under his chin. Yes...there was something there alright, what it was exactly, he had no idea. The Jounin walked towards the window and looked out it, watching as the girl tied a leaf headband onto a boys arm. The image of her leg making contact with dummy played in his mind, as well as her chakra...the way it looked. He came to the conclusion that he too, had no idea what exactly was up with the youngest Hatake.


	5. The Team

Naruto's still sitting on the swing, so after Shikamaru helps me tie my headband on ( It's tied on a bit crooked so it tilts down to the side a little) I start walking over to him. Just as my foot lifts from the ground a small cloud of smoke appears, making an audible _poof! _before disappearing. I look down a bit anxiously. " Pakuun is he okay?" He lifts a small paw and waves it at me. " He's alright, kid. Your brother made it back just fine, but he still has to take care of some things so you might not see him until tomorrow or so." Hm..it must be pretty serious if I won't be able to see today. Usually Kakashi always makes sure to check up on me as soon as he gets back from a mission. I scratch Pakuun behind one of his ears, and he turns his head to the side with a big grin. He looks up and gives me a big smile. "Well look at that! I knew you could do it kid. Say.." he tilts he head to the side "You look even more like your brother now with your headband tilted like that. The female version of him, that is. He'll be happy when I tell him" "No, don't tell him. I'm planning on surprising him or something with it." "Sure kid, whatever you say." Then he's gone in a poof of smoke. I wave some of it away to clear it, only to see that the swing is empty and Naruto isn't anywhere to be seen.

The next day Shikamaru and I walk in the academy, and the first person I see is.."Hey Naruto!" I say as I walk towards him. I can't help but notice the ear to ear grin on his face. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. When I'm right beside him I lean down a little and whisper into his ear "Told ya it just takes some time" He smiles at me, reaching up to touch his leaf headband. "What're you doin here Naruto? This place isn't for drop outs. You can't be here unless you graduate." Shikamaru says, and I shoot him a quick look. He hadn't said it in a mocking, mean way at all, but still. Naruto points animatedly at his headband. "See this? Its a regulation headband. Open your eyes, Shikamaru. We'll both be training together, how do ya like that?" I try and force my mouth to stop quivering, but Shikamaru notices and gives me a light shove, resulting in me shoving him back. Before I know it, the both of us are laughing at each other, Naruto joining in. Sasuke, who's sitting next to Naruto, is quiet with his hands folded and brought up to his mouth. The door to the classroom slams open, and Sakura and Ino both rush in at the same time. "I was here first!" they say. " Should've put money on the both of you then" I mutter, and Shikamaru snorts in agreement. I help Naruto up after Sakura literally shoves him aside to get to Sasuke. Practically the entire female population in the classroom gets to their feet and form a wall around Sasuke's desk, arguing about who gets to sit with him. Sasuke shoots a quick glance in my direction before looking down again. Naruto mutters something to himself before hopping onto the desk so he and Sasuke are eye level, and practically growling in his face. I put my face in my hand and laugh to myself. Kiba and Akamaru, Shikamaru, and Shino watch in amusement beside me. Several high-pitched screams cause my head to snap up, and once I do thats when I really start laughing. Naruto and Sasuke accidentally kissed, and were now turned away from each other holding their hands to their throats. The room becomes deathly silent as the mass of girls began popping their knuckles. I hop off the table just before Shikamaru's hand is able to reach out and pull me back and make my way through the crowd of girls. Standing next to Naruto I hold a hand out. "C'mon guys, if you waste all your energy beating Naruto up you won't have any left over to fight each other over Sasuke." Iruka-Sensei walks through the door and everyone rushes to their seats. Naruto muttering a quick,embarrassed "Thanks" before he sits back down.

He tells us all about becoming Genin, and how we'll all be put on a three-man squad that will be led by a Jounin. Shikamaru and I glance at each other. "I will now announce the teams. Squad 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka-Sensei glances down again at the piece of paper in his hands with a confused look on his face. "That's never happened before" he mutters before looking directly at me. "And Amedoru Hatake. You'll be on Squad 7 also." Whispering fills the room while a few girls raise their hands and ask why my squad has a fourth person. Iruka-Sensei shrugs. Shikamaru leans back into his chair and folds his arms in front of his chest, sighing. "What a drag." I give him a sad look. The both of us had been counting on being put onto the same team. "Next, Squad 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame." Huh, no fourth person for them..."Now, Squad 10" Iruka-Sensei says. "Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi" Well at least Shikamaru has at least one person on his team who he can talk to. He and Choji are pretty good friends. Iruka-Sensei dismisses us for lunch, telling us to report back to the academy afterwards so we can meet our new Jounin instructor. I'm pretty sure Sakura's following Sasuke somewhere, and Naruto's right behind her. Shikamaru and I grab a quick bite to eat before walking down to the lake near my house.

"Its such a drag we aren't on the same team" Shikamaru grumbles as he flicks a rock onto the water, watching as it skips three times before sinking. I walk until I'm about mid-calf in the water. "I know. But at least you have Choji to talk to." "Yeah." Silence falls over us as we both continue skipping rocks, but its more peaceful than it is awkward. I pick up a big, flat white rock and flick it out into the water.

"Hey Shikamaru?"

"Whats up?"

"Lets agree that no matter what, we'll always be best friends. That things will never change for us, same team or not" He stands up straight and walks through the water towards me, holding his fist out before he bumps it with mine.

"Agreed. No matter what"

* * *

"He's late" Naruto says while he looks out the door. All of us, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and I sit inside an empty classroom, waiting for our new instructor to show up. "Naruto, just sit down!" Sakura urges. "Well I don't wanna. How come our teachers the only one who's late? I'm ready to roll, believe it!" From my place on the window-sill, I can't help but notice that whoever our new teacher is already has one similarity with Kakashi. Wait a second. Could he be our new Sensei? No..he would've told me. I look up just in time to see Naruto hop down from a stool he used to help him place an eraser between the door and the wall. 'You're asking for trouble, you know you shouldn't do that" Sakura reprimanded, placing her hands on her hips. "Our teacher's a Jounin. An elite ninja. Think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke says, and I look over at him. This is the most he's spoken today. Just as Sakura begins going off on Naruto again, a hand slides the door open and a familiar, and even similar head of spiky, crazy silvery-grey hair appears. The eraser clonks onto his head, surrounding his face in a cloud of chalk dust. "I got him! He totally fell for it!" Naruto laughs. "I'm sooo sorry Sensei! I told him not to do it, but of course he wouldn't listen to me..' Sakura began. "Hm.." Kakashi said as he picked up the eraser. 'How do I put this..my first impression about the group is..your all a bunch of idiots." He opens his eye and sees me, giving me that eye smile of his and a wave before walking over to me. He puts his hand on my head before using it to lean it back a little so he can get a better look at my headband.

"See? Didn't I tell you you'd be just fine? I'm-"

"HOLD IT!" Naruto interrupted. I turn to look at him and notice that the rest of my team is looking back and forth between Kakashi and I.

"Do you too..know each other" Sakura asks shyly. Sasuke makes a scoffing noise before he rolls his eyes.

"They're siblings. Can't you tell?" He deadpans. Kakashi moves so he's standing right next to me, and I can't help but notice we both have the habit of sticking our hands in our pockets a lot. Naruto and Sakura hold their hands up to their chins while looking back and forth between us some more. Its a bit..uncomfortable.

"Oooh" they say at the same time, and Sasuke rolls his eyes again. Kakashi raises his hand and tries adjusting my headband, but I swat his hand away. I've already tried straightening it out. Plus, I like it the way it is, crooked and all. All of us travel to the rooftop, and I take a seat next to Naruto. "All right, I guess we should get to know each other a bit first..lets all introduce ourselves one at a time" my brother suggests, though its pretty obvious he'd rather do something else. "Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?' Sakura asks, and I'm grateful for it. Kakashi shrugs. "Things you like, things you hate..dreams for the future, hobbies. Things like that" he says as he re-crosses his arms. "Maybe you should go first, Kakashi..sensei" I say, stumbling a bit on that last part. I guess I'm gunna have to get used to the new transition. "Me? Alright then. I'm Kakashi Hatake, and I'm Amedoru's older brother. Things I like..hm..things I hate..I don't really feel like telling you that" he says. It looks like he's just as reluctant to share as I am. "My dreams for the future" He began again, looking off to the side as he thought. "Never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, well I have lots of hobbies" He concluded, and I cant help but think to myself. Yep..one of those is reading those curious little books your so stingy over. "Well that was pretty useless, I mean all he really told us was his name and who his sister is." Sakura said, miffed.

"Alright, you go first now, the one on the left-er, with the spiky blonde hair" Kakashi corrects himself as he looks away from me. I turn so I'm facing Naruto, smiling as he adjusts his headband with a smile on his face. I swear, its like he never runs out of enthusiasm or something. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup, and I reaally like the ramen Iruka-Sensei got me at the Ichiraku ramen stand. I hate the three minutes I have to wait before the water in the ramen cup cools off. My hobbies are eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is..to become the next greatest Hokage! That way everyone in the village will stop disrespecting me and treat me like I'm somebody! Someone important!" Huh, I never knew that about Naruto...guess this little excercise really does work. Its quiet a second.

"Hey Kakashi, for dinner tonight can we-"

"No" he cuts me off, and Naruto chuckles.

"Alright, next" Kakashi says as he points at Sakura. She sits up a bit straighter and looks at Sasuke before a big smile appears on me face. "I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like-no, the person I like is.." she blushes and looks at Sasuke, who just stares straight ahead. For the love of everything good.. She tries to finish her introduction, but she can't go one sentance, or even one word, without looking at Sasuke and squealing just a bit. Kakashi sighs. "Well..what do you hate?" he asks her, and I jump a bit at the volume of her voice. "NARUTO!" Kakashi sighs again before resting his chin in his hand. _Girls her age are more interested in boys than in ninja training...hm..I wonder if Amedoru feels like that too? No...she better not.._ "Okay then. Next" I lean forward almost involuntarily. Sasuke, I have to admit, has me a bit..interested . Not in _that way _of course. Its just that, despite how quiet he is, and sullen for that matter, it seems like there's something..he's trying to say, I guess. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things...and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain...someone" Sasuke said no more then, and neither did anyone else. I think to myself all the while looking out at the treeline. Just how much hate was in him? My brother clears his throat after a minute before nodding his head to me, and I swallow. "Alright. Well my name is Amedoru Hatake, and I guess I don't need to tell you that Kakashi's my brother. Um..I like being outside and I hate..well nothing really comes to mind right now. I'm not sure if this counts as a hobby, but I spend most of my time with Shikamaru, and sometimes my brother when he has time. As my dream..I haven't figured it out yet." I finish, and Kakashi looks up from the ground. "Good. All of you are unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first training session tomorrow." Naruto raises his hand.

"Its an exercise the five of us will do together" my brother says, causing Naruto to ask about it some more with excitement in his voice.

"What kind of exercise?"

"A survival excercise" Kakashi says, and Naruto gets quiet. Truth be told, I'm actually a bit..excited for it. Maybe this time Kakashi won't get called on a mission right when things are getting started.

"Huh? What do you mean? A survival exercise?" Naruto asked, followed by Sakura adding:

"What happened to going on real missions? I mean, we've already done exercises and stuff back at the Academy. We need missions, not more practice."

"I think I'd rather practice dying than do it on an actual mission" I say, and Sasuke gives a small grunt. Kakashi looks at me pointedly. "She's got a point there, dontcha think? This is not like your previous training." he trails off. "Well what makes your training so different from the Academy?" I ask, feeling my nerves tighten as my brother's head dips and he laughs, his shoulders shaking, before he calms down and gives me that eye smile again. "If I tell you Ame, your not gunna like it" I keep quiet, so he continues. "Of the twenty-eight graduates who came here, only ten will actually be accepted as Genin-ninja. The rest will be weeded out, so to speak, and will be sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it pass/fail test, and the percentage of all you failing is about sixty-six percent" I practically hear Naruto's jaw drop next to me. Id be surprised if mines isn't doing the same. I have to make sure I train harder than ever, push myself.

After we wrap things up on the roof, Kakashi and I walk back home. I must've been pretty deep in thought, because Kakashi looks down at me and asks "Something wrong? Your pretty quiet, I figured you'd be talking my ear off about what you think of your new teammates" he says with a laugh. I look up and give him a smile.

"I'm just thinking about tomorrow. But yeah, they're okay. I really can't say much more because I don't really know them, except for Naruto I guess."

"Ah, Naruto. He's certainly something isn't he? Don't think I've seen someone that hyper-active since..well, never" We reach the front door and I chuckle before looking up at my brother again.

"Whats wrong?" he asks, and I shrug before I walk inside, calling over my shoulder "I'm just happy your home."


	6. The Bell Test: Teamwork and Teammates

A cool breeze ghosts its way into my room, chilling my skin and making goosebumps appear like a crop line. My hand reaches out to grab my blanket, but there's nothing there. As my eyes slowly open, the first thing I see is the door to my room, with something that looks like a pillow in front of it. My fingertips brush against cool, hard wood, and when I'm finally on my feet again, I take a look around and notice how my sheets are wrinkled heavily and how my blankets are a swirly mess that spills over the side of my bed. I know I must've had a nightmare, no doubt about the voice again. But I can't recall ever not remembering my nightmare happening before. The sudden urge to grab my pillow and run to Kakashi's room makes me walk to the door, but I stop right when I'm about to slide it open. There's no sense in bothering him. After I toss the pillow back onto my bed, I lie down and cross my hands behind my head. My eyes, but I'm not able to get back to sleep. I'm too busy trying to remember what exactly I dreamt about.

* * *

I'm up and dressed by the time the air is thick with bird song. Kakashi's door is wide open, revealing his empty bed (and closed window, I might add), and I already know he's going to be late to the training field we're all supposed to meet at. There is, however, a piece of paper sticking to his door, which is a first, with a brief message on it:

_Don't eat breakfast. _Thank goodness I ate a lot at dinner last night.

There's still some time to spare before I have to meet everyone, so I decide to spend it waiting outside for Shikamaru. I know he's probably busy with his own team now and everything, but I guess old habits die hard. There's no sign of him, so I leave for the field as soon as the clouds lighten, jumping tree to tree. Hopefully it won't always be like this, I think. My three teammates standing in the center of the field comes into sight, and as I approach them Naruto brings his hand up to rub his eye hard, giving me a lazy smile and a wave with his other hand. Sakura looks like she's going to fall on her face while Sasuke stands sure on his feet, giving me a brief, blank look before looking around the field. "He's gunna be late" I say, but all of us still remain standing, even when the birds' chirping gets louder than before and the sun is shining down on us from a clear blue sky. I bend over and pluck a few blades of grass before braiding them together.

"No offence, Amedoru, but is Kakashi-Sensei always late to everything?" Sakura asks.

"Mhm." I reply, twisting the grass blades in my fingers. "It's sort've a..bad habit he has" There's no way I'm telling them the real reason behind my brothers frequent "late arrivals". My head snaps to the side all of a sudden, causing Sasuke to unlatch the pouch on his leg.

"Morning everyone. You all ready for today?" My brother asks, and Naruto and Sakura leap to their feet in a burst of energy. "YOUR LATE!" They shout. Well, I did warn them didn't I? "Well a black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way." Kakashi says, giving his usual eye-smile. "Well lets get started then" he says as he walks over to a tree stump, pulling something out of his backpack. "Since when do you have an alarm clock?" I ask as I bend over to look at it. Kakashi flicks me on the forehead. "Its set for noon. Your assignment is very simple. You just gotta take these bells away from me" he says as he holds them up so we can see them. "If you can't get them by noon, you'll go without lunch" Naruto makes a strangled sound. So thats why he told us all not to eat breakfast...I should've known. "You'll be tied to those posts" Kakashi continues, gesturing over to three wooden posts, which is kind've odd considering this is a four-man team. I turn back to look at Kakashi and wonder why he's looking at me the way he is. With something akin to excitement in his eye. "And watch while lunch is eaten in front of you" My ears pick up faint rumbling, and I look over to see Sakura holding her stomach.

"Wait. If there's four of us, why are their only two bells?" Sakura asks.

"Well that way two of you will end up tied to the post, being disqualified. Those two will end up back at the academy." Kakashi says. "You can use any weapon you want, including shuriken. If your not prepared to kill me, you wont be able to take the bells" His fist closes around them as I swallow. I hate the way he put it, but he's right. If I want to be ready when the time comes, I gotta treat this assignment like a real mission. Jumping off my train of thought, I catch the word "-Losers" coming from my brother before Naruto growls, pulls out a kunai, and charges towards him. "Don't!" I yell as I leap forward to catch him, but he slips away from me before coming to an abrupt halt. Every time I try and watch Kakashi in action, it always feels like I've missed something, even though more than once I've used my fingers to keep my eyes from blinking. He's just that fast.

My team and I are out of Kakashi's sight before he can finish saying "start". I have no idea where everyone else went, but I managed to find a nice spot thats close enough to my brother without making it obvious. Leaves tickle my hands as I part some of the foliage to get a better view. I can't say I'm surprised to see Naruto having a stand off with Kakashi. Naruto charges towards him, and right before I fall out of the tree I'm hiding in from leaning forward to much, Kakashi reaches into his pouch and pulls out-I can't believe he brought that here. That annoying, curious, mystifying orange book of his. Very slowly, my hand goes to my pouch before I fling out a couple shuriken. My brother dodges them easily, though I can tell he didn't see them coming. He looks over in the direction of my hiding spot, so I jump to another tree, eyeing the few leaves that flutter to the ground. As I'm thinking of my next move, I look over towards the river and see multiple Naruto's emerging. A grin from ear to ear grows on my face. But just when I'm sure my brothers done for, he disappears in a cloud of smoke so that the person Naruto just nailed in the face is actually...himself. C'mon girl, I think. You cant just sit here for ever. Time to move. I follow the sound of Naruto's yelling until I see him. Upside down. The coast looks clear so I hop to the ground and cut him down swiftly with my kunai, helping him up afterwards.

"Thanks Amedoru" Naruto says as he rubs his head.

"Anytime. But hey, just remember that things aren't always what they seem. If you fall for the easy stuff all the time, you'll only end up upside down." Naruto grumbles a little to himself.

"We should go before Kakashi comes to check the trap. C'mon." I say before I grab his arm and haul us both up towards the trees. When the both of us are hidden, we clutch the branch we're sitting on and watch as Kakashi picks up the piece of severed rope and looks it over before picking up the bell off the ground next to it. I almost palm smack myself. I could've grabbed the darn thing right then and Kakashi stands up, a high pitched whizzing sound makes my ears tingle, and I have just enough time to shoot up straight on the branch before several shuriken embeds themselves into him, sending him flying to the side. "N-" I begin to shout before Naruto's hand snakes around me and covers my mouth. "Look!" He whispers, and points down to the log under our tree. I sigh "Another substitution jutsu...thanks for pointin it out to me, Naruto. I could've gotten us discovered." Judging by the sky, I know our time now is beyond limited. Spying the bento boxes near the memorial stone (didn't notice that either) I put my hand on Naruto's shoulder and whisper in his ear.

Waiting for my cue, I watch Naruto rub his hands together as he sits with the boxes . It isn't long before my brother pops up behind him, and I swoop off from the branch as quietly as I can, bringing my feet up to snatch the bells while Naruto eyes me intently, pulling out a kunai knife and throwing it. My talons scrape against the bell, creating an uneven, silvery line before Kakashi jumps up, and the kunai that Naruto aimed at him comes sailing right for me. Righting myself I swoop down and release my transformation jutsu before I hit the ground, and come to a rolling stop. Someone helps me up by my underarms. "We'll, can't say we didn't try, huh Naruto? Your aim is pretty good by the way, nearly took my wing-er, arm off" We both laugh as the pair of hands that helped me up dust my shoulder off, though I can feel fingers lightly probing around the area, I assume Kakashi's just checking for injuries. I look up at my brother, who gives me an eye-smile. "It was a good try guys. But it still needs work."

* * *

"Kakashi-Senseeeeeeiiii! how come I'm the only one tied to this stupid post?!' Naruto asks, all the while bucking against the rope around him and kicking his legs. I put my hands out and try to calm him down before he ends up hurting himself.

"Well, you did throw a kunai at my sister" Kakashi says.

"Which was meant for you originally, bro. Thanks for leaping out of the way." I say as the corner of my mouth tilts upwards. Suddenly the symphony of hungry stomachs cut off my brothers nervous laughter.

"Uh oh, stomachs growling. That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this excercise? I've decided I won't send any of you back to the academy" Kakashi says. I bring my hand up to my chin. Something's ..off. Sakura cheers as she leaps up from the ground while Naruto has a content smile on his face. I look over at Sasuke but can't see his expression because of his hair.

"SO that means, that means all four of us..!" Naruto begins, but can't finish what he's saying because he's too excited.

"Yes, thats right. All four of you...are being dropped from the program. Permanently." Kakashi says, cutting off Naruto and Sakura's cheers. My breath hitches in my throat and I exhale slowly. That "off" feeling is still heavy in the air.

"Wait a minute-"

"Drop us from the program?! We'll never be ninja!"

"What!?"

All of us, minus Sasuke, speak at once, our words mingling together. "Why would you do that?!" Naruto asks as his struggling resumes. This time I don't even bother trying to stop him.

"In order to become a ninja, you have to think like one, which none of you do. You think like little kids, like brats." This makes my teeth grit together. Was mine and Naruto's attack strategy really that horrible? Before Sasuke's arm makes contact with my brother he's pinned to the ground in rather...awkward way. " You think its all about you" Kakashi states, looking down at Sasuke. I fold my arms and lean against one of the posts. Naruto's stopped struggling, watching with wide eyes. "You don't know what it means to be a ninja. You think its a game" Kakashi says, and I can't help but notice how his voice is slowly to think of it, I don't think there's ever been a time when I've heard Kakashi yell before. "Have you ever wondered why you're put onto squads? Did you ever consider that question for one moment?" He asks with an edge to his voice that makes a small, inaudible whine arise in the back of my throat.

"I..don't know what you mean" Sakura says nervously, her green eyes huge.

"You don't understand what this excercise is all about, not even close. But then again, Amedoru managed to pull through so obviously she understands." My brother says, looking at me while still keeping a tight hold on Sasuke. "Four people on a team. Why do you think that is?" he asks. I swear I can see a vein throbbing on the side of Naruto's head. My brother sighs.

" Amedoru, you wanna explain for me?"

"Teamwork" I reply.

"Exactly. Teamwork. When Naruto got caught in my little rope trap, Amedoru was the only one brave enough to come out and help him. And if I wasn't already expecting their attack, the both of them would have definitely gotten the bells because they worked together. I pitted you against each other on purpose to see if you could put the mission ahead of yourselves. Obviously, that didn't happen." He looks down at Sasuke "I bet that didn't even cross your mind, huh? You thought the others were worthless, not even worth your time. Arrogance." His head raises and he looks at Sakura. " You obsessed over Sasuke who was gone while Naruto was right in front of you, and you didn't even lift a finger to help him." Red covered both of Sakura's cheeks, and I look down. Getting scolded by Kakashi definately isn't a stroll through the park. "Naruto. You do everything on your own. I'm actually surprised you let Ame help you out when she did." Lastly, Kakashi looks at me, and I took a deep breath before meeting my eyes with his. Onyx vs onyx. "Amedoru. It took you forever to make your first move. Its important to think things through, but if you freeze up and don't act, you'll be found out and killed. On the other hand though, when you saw an opening, you took it, and when Naruto was in trouble you didn't even think before rushing to his aid. From there the two of you managed to develop an attack strategy. That's good teamwork, and is what the four of you should have done together" He finishes, looking at all of us before getting to his feet and walking over to the memorial stone. I push myself off the post and follow until I'm a few feet behind Kakashi. "Did you look at this stone? The names on it?" he asks. "They are all ninja who are honored as heroes in this village" I look at the stone in front of me, look at how the light glints off the names engraved on it. I don't ever want to see the names of my loved ones on this stone. Ever.

"That's it! Now I know! I'll become a Hero, just like those people!" Naruto says excitedly, so I look over my shoulder at him a bit sadly.

"These people are...special heroes, Naruto."

"Really? Why? C'mon, tell us!"

I stare at the back of my brothers Jounin jacket, but my voice rides on the wind back to Naruto and the others so that they hear me clearly.

"All of them are KIA...all of them dead." Everything's quiet except for the trees, and I walk so I'm next to my brother in front of the stone. But this time, instead of taking his hand in mine, I give him his space, not saying a word. "This is a Memorial Stone" he says back to the rest of my team. "The names of all my closest friends are engraved here." After a moment he turns on his heel, looking first at me and then to the rest of my team. "I'll give you one more chance. You have three hours after noon to grab at least one of the bells. I want you to eat lunch so you'll have strength. Naruto doesn't get any. If anyone tries to feed him, they will fail immediately."

* * *

I resume my position in front of one of the posts and watch as Sasuke and Sakura dig into their lunch. My box rests on the ground in front of me, and even though my stomach is practically eating itself, I can't bring myself to take the lid off. Naruto's stomach begins to make a sequence of strange sounds. "This is no big deal. I can go without food for days, weeks! No biggie at all!" he says before his head sags forward. Sasuke looks up at me.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"If Naruto can't eat, neither can I" I say, not even looking at the box of food at my feet. Sasuke's chewing slows to a complete stop as he stares at his food thoughtfully. "Here" he says as he reaches his box towards Naruto. "Sasuke, what are you doing? You heard what Sensei said" Sakura says, her head searching for any sign of my brother. "He's gone right now. And we need to get those bells. As a team, If Naruto's hungry, he'll only be weak and ineffective, and that hurts both the team and the mission." Then Sasuke looks at me. "And you need to eat too." I pick up my lunch, break the chopsticks, and grab a nice wad of rice before holding it out to Naruto with a smile "Go ahead, Naruto. Your stomach's making worse noises than mine is" I swear I saw his eyes shine over before he opens his mouth, but just when the chopsticks near him an almighty explosion blows it out of my hands. "YOU!" Kakashi yells, and I feel my eyes go saucer wide. When the wind calms down, my brother appears in front of us, squatting. "You broke the rules so get ready for your punishment." He stands up quickly and makes a few hand signs. My nose picks up the scent of rain, and sure enough, when I tilt my head up I see several storm clouds rolling in. Come to think of it, my smelling senses have been sort've..enhanced or something lately. "Any last words" Kakashi asks in an ominous voice, and the most I can come up with is an audible gulp. Naruto stutters a moment. "But you said there's four of us! And thats why Amedoru, Sasuke, and Sakura.." he trials off, and its from these beginning words that I draw some courage. "We are a team, and teammates stick together" I say, and Sasuke nods.

"All of us are in this together"

"That's right! We gave Naruto food because the four of us are one!" Sakura adds in

"Yeah! Believe it!"

My brother steps forward, his hands still locked into a sign. "Teammates stick together..the four of you are one, is that your excuse?" I nod my head firmly, and Kakashi chuckles before his eye curves into a smile.

"Well alrighty then. You pass."

"Come again?' Sakura asks.

"You. Pass" Kakashi says in a lighter tone, and I let out a content sigh before I flop down onto the soft grass, closing my eyes blissfully. I don't pay much attention to what my brother's telling Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, but my ears do pick up the beginning of one of his famous metaphors. "In the ninja world, people who break the law are scum, but-"

"But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum" I finish from my place on the ground, lifting my head up to give my brother a thumbs-up.

"You got it, kiddo. And since all of you passed, Squad Seven will start it's first mission tomorrow!" Another ear to ear grin spreads across my face, the sound of Naruto and Sakura's cheering, and even the satisfied sound Sasuke gives help make this whole exercise even more victorious. "Now lets go home" Kakashi says over me, holding out a hand before helping me up. He gives me yet another eye smile before ruffling my hair up, and as we walk home together, I can't help but feel like things have just begun.


	7. A New Mission: Land Of Waves, pt 1

**_Thank you so much to _pizzafan123 _for being my first reviewer. I really appreciate your support with this story so far:) ~lastoftheamericandreamers._**

* * *

**_A few days later.._**

So far I have a total of five scratches. Three on my upper leg and two on the back of my hand. That first mission Kakashi talked about a few days ago ended up being a total wild goose chase with various missing animals. Our latest is a cat named Tora, who had already went missing numerous times before she was assigned to us. Earlier today we were called in by the Hokage because Tora ran off again (no surprise) and when we finally caught up to her, Naruto leaped out from his hiding spot and tackled Tora to the ground. Now he has a giant scrape on his cheek, plus other numerous scratches. That cat is one feisty beast. I have to admit, the whole chasing after missing animals thing is getting pretty old, but nonetheless it always ends up being pretty fun, not too mention hilarious at the end of the day. My teammates and I aren't all exactly..close yet, but maybe we'll get there down the road. Since Kakashi was assigned to us as our Sensei, he's been around a lot more than what he used to be, though he's still as busy as ever. Even so, I'm grateful.

The last time I saw Shikamaru was the day when our teams were assigned to us. Its really not a surprise, after all he's most likely busy with his own team. Though I hope he isn't chasing animals around like we are. He'd probably internally combust from the boredom and work. On my way to the Nara home I pass the tea shop, and a spiky black ponytail comes into view. I creep up quietly from behind and tap the man in front of me on the right shoulder before moving my body to the left at the same time. While his head is turned I take the empty seat next to him.

"Sorry Shikaku, couldn't resist" I say, and he sets down his mug of tea before reaching an arm out to shove me lightly"

"You little punk, I guess I really am gettin' old." he says with a chuckle. " How've you been? I haven't seen you around in a while."

"I'm doin alright, how bout you? Yeah, team stuff's been keeping me busy" I say as Shikaku orders another tea before sliding it over to me.

"Still kickin' it, kid...still kickin' it. Shikamaru's been pretty busy too. I take it you haven't seen him around lately either. For once that kid's got somethin actually productive to do" Shikaku says before taking a sip of his tea. The both of us carry on like this for a while. I tell him about my team and what we've done so far, and when I tell him who my Sensei is, he chuckles into his tea mug. " Two Hatakes. Well that's certainly strange. You know they try to keep family members separated when it comes to assigning teams and such." Hm, I wonder why that is. " Maybe now you'll get to spend a little more time with him." he finishes as I nod my head and finish off my tea, choking a little on the white smoke that appears. Shikaku gives me a few good smacks on my back.

"Your brother and the rest of your team need you at the Hokage's office" Akino says as he adjusts his glasses. The Hokage's office? Must be serious.

"Thanks for the tea, Shikaku. I'll see ya around" I say as I stand up, Akino hops off the counter and trots next to me.

"Anytime. Oh, and I'll be sure to tell Shikamaru that you've been busy too."

* * *

Akino and I jump the steps leading to the Hokage's office three at a time. Coming to the door I hear Naruto shouting, and Akino gives a low growl. Before my hand makes contact with the wood to knock, the Hokage's voice, a mixture of both amusement and irritability, says from the other side: "Come in" Naruto's shouting quiets down some after I push the door open, letting Akino walk in first. "Thanks for bringing her" Kakashi says just before Akino disappears.

"What's going on?" I ask Sakura as I gesture towards Naruto. She sighs.

"He's been going on and on about wanting a better mission than the ones we've already been given."

"Ah"

"How dare you! Your just a Genin with no experience!" Iruka-Sensei shouts, and I jump about a mile high. I didn't even notice him. Naruto goes off again, though his rant is cut short as soon as Kakashi brings his hand down onto his head pretty hard. "Will you put a lid on it?" Kakashi asks. I wince a bit at the noises Naruto's making as he grips his head. Its pretty much the equivalent to a dying ferret. "Naruto. You don't understand the meaning of the tasks you are given. Listen, many kinds of requests come into our village every day.." Lord Hokage begins, and I glance around his office. Why is Iruka-Sensei staring at me? When I bring my eyes up to his, he gives me a quick smile before looking down at the papers in front of him, and even though I wait a few seconds for him to bring his head up again, he doesn't. Is there something bothering him? He's never been like this with me. "...we ninja are also ranked by our abilities" The Hokage says as he chews on his pipe. Naruto twists his body around so that he's facing the rest of us, and a thoughtful look crosses his face. He begins going into detail what he's going to do if we get the "Cat Mission" again. All while the Hokage's voice carries on in the background: "Hokage, Jounin, Chunin, and Genin. We assign missions to ninja based on their level of skill. If our mission is successful, we receive a fee that helps support our village. Since you are Genin and are just starting down the Shinobi path, you are given "D" level assignments. or worse..."

"So I had this tatsu ramen yesterday and I'm getting miso ramen today-"

"SILENCE!"

"Oh um, sorry" my brother says as his hand goes to the back of his neck. Naruto spins back around. Maybe its just me, but his whisker marks are even more prominent now.

"You always lecture me like your my grandfather or something! But I'm not the little brat who used to pull pranks all the time. I'm a ninja now! And I want a ninja mission!" Naruto says, and I look at him from my place beside Sakura.

"Nicely put, Naruto"

Its quiet a moment before the Hokage chuckles. "Well so be it, then. I'm going to give you a C-Ranked mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey." Hm..I wonder where he's going with this. He calls in our visitor, and the first thing I see when the door slides open is a big, brown bottle. The door comes to a sliding stop, and the visitor leans against the frame before taking large gulps from the bottle. Clear liquid dribbles down his chin. I share a look with Kakashi before eyeing the piece of rope tied around the man's head. "You, with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?" he asks, eyeballing Naruto who only laughs and looks around the room. "Who's he talking about?" Sasuke takes a step closer next to Naruto, followed by Sakura and I ( I'm about her height). "I will demolish you! Come 'ere!" Naruto growls as he lunges forward, his whisker marks bristling. I grab him by the arm and Kakashi comes over and grabs him by the neck of his orange jumpsuit. "You can't demolish our client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way" While Naruto's struggling, the man in the doorway takes another drink from the bottle.

"Who are you?" I ask. He looks between Kakashi and I.

"My name is Tazuna, and I am a master bridge-builder. I must be returned to my homeland so I can finish a bridge that will help change my village. I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means at the cost of your own life." Those last words echo around in my head, but I push them aside.

"Well alright then. I wanna see this bridge."

The rest of my Team and I follow Tazuna out the door with Kakashi behind us. Pausing in the doorway, I look back and catch a glimpse of the Hokage's subtle nod to him.

* * *

"What are you so excited about, Naruto?" Sakura asks. Its pretty obvious how annoyed she is right now. I walk up ahead till I'm right next to Naruto, almost getting smacked in the face as his arm flies out from excitement. "First time outside the gates, huh?" I ask him as he looks all around, letting out random shouts.

"Yeah! How'd you know?" I smile to myself, and look back at Kakashi.

"Well..."

_Flashback:  
_

_Two six yer old children stood in front of the Leaf Village Gates, eyeing it all the way from the bottom to the top. The both of them had to tilt their heads all the way back in order to get the full view of it, and in doing so almost fell flat on their backs. "What do you think's on the other side, Shikamaru?" the girl asked. Her friend put his fingers up to his chin. "Not sure. Maybe its something bad since we're not allowed on the other side til we're older." He walked forward and eyed the empty guard station near him before putting his eye up to a small crack in the wood. He couldn't see anything. The girl came up behind him and tugged on his shirt-sleeve. "Look over there" she said as she pointed out a very tall tree that shot up from the ground and grew towards the clouds, with a long branch that curved over the gate. The kids looked at each other before racing over to it. The first branch came up to the boys head, and since he was about an inch and a half taller than the girl, he took a running start and leaped up to the branch first. When he was settled, he held his arm down with his hand stretched towards the girl who took a quick look around her. "Its clear. C'mon Amedoru" the boy said. The girl hopped up, and the boy helped her onto the large branch beside him. They continued climbing up the tree, pausing frequently to make sure no one was watching. The branch leading over the gates was just in front of them now, but they both noticed that it was thinner than it had looked from down below. "I think you should go first. You're lighter than me" the boy said. The girl eyed the ground nervously before nodding her head, and they re-positioned themselves. "Almost there, keep going!" the boy encouraged. The girl continued crawling forward on the thin branch, pausing when it moved lightly from the wind. Almost there she said to herself. While climbing, the both of them were able to see what was over the other side of the gate ( a long, winding path and lots of trees), and they had decided without speaking that they would follow that path as far as they could. After all, the bigger kids got to travel that path, so why shouldn't they? The girl looked out into the distance and thought she saw a figure coming up the path, someone that looked strangely familiar even at a long distance. As she stood up slowly to grasp the thicker branch above her, she lost her footing and fell off to the side. "AMEDORU!" the boy shouted as he lunged forward, grabbing her by the ankle. The girl looked up at her friend with a pair of wide, onyx eyes. "Next time your going first." she said, and the both of them laughed nervously. "What do you two think you're doing?" A voice sounded from next to the girl. She turned her head until she and the person were face-to-face, causing her body to lurch involuntarily. Both the girl and the boy (who was trying very hard to keep his body on the thin branch) fell at the young teenagers feet in a tangled heap. The girl rubbed her head and looked up at her fifteen year old brother. "Hey Kakashi.." _

"No way!" Sakura exclaims before giggling into her hand. While I was telling Naruto the story, she had walked up next to me. I look over to my other side and notice that Sasuke's next to Naruto now. The four of us in a line-up of our own.

"Yep. Those two knuckleheads weren't allowed outside for a week or so" Kakashi says from behind us. Naruto laughs loudly, causing a groan from Tazuna. "And I'm supposed to trust my life with this runt? Look at him, he's a joke!"

"Well he's with me, and I'm a Jounin so you don't need to worry about that' my brother says. We all come to a stop.

" Insulting a ninja is a big mistake. And I'm one of the greatest ninja ever!" Naruto begins. I put a hand to the back of my neck. This is probably gunna get ugly. "Someday I'll be Hokage, and you'll look up to me!" Naruto begins again. "My name's Naruto Uzamaki, remember it!"

Tazuna takes another gulp out his bottle. "Hokage are powerful and wise. You are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly."

"Well if you take care of the wings, Ill bring the feathers." I say, and Tazuna looks over at me with a questioning, thoughtful look before he grunts. I swear I see the corner of his mouth lift.

" He'll still be a no body to me. Just a little loser" Tazuna says, and before I can say anything, Naruto tries rushing him again, only to be held back, once again, by my brother. "I told you you're supposed to protect the client, not attack them" he says with a hint of tiredness. Gradually, Naruto settles down, and we begin walking again. Upon Sakura's request, Kakashi tells her all about the different nations, and why the Land of Waves lack ninja. He also talks about the importance of having the Hokage around. We walk until we pass a puddle, which for some reason puts me on edge. I look up at the clear, blue sky and the feeling intensifies. "Strange.." I mumble to myself. I turn my head so I can tell Kakashi about it when the puddle ripples and a black form leaps from it. I don't even have time to utter anything before Kakashi pushes me away from him and thick chains wrap themselves around him. That's when my voice comes back.

"We're under attack!" Everyone else turns around and stares at my brother with open mouths. I whip out a kunai and rush towards him before the chains tighten and my brother explodes. Something thick and mud-like splatters on me. I can practically feel everyone's horrified expressions. "Ka..Kakashi sensei!" Naruto chokes out at the same time Sakura screams and a strangled "No!" leaves my mouth..before I clamp it shut. I can't feel any pain. I pivot and run back towards my team. "Everyone, look out!" I yell just as two men appear right behind Naruto.

"Now its your turn" One of them says with a laugh. The same chains that destroyed my brother's clone fly towards Naruto..but they never reach him. Sasuke takes out a shuriken and a kunai and throws them so that they collide with the chains, pinning them to a nearby tree. "I can't get loose!" one of the men says. Sasuke leaps onto both of their shoulders, and spreads his legs apart with enough strength to break them. Once the both of them are free, though, they both split in opposite directions, moving pretty quickly. To my horror, the same one who threw the chains toward Naruto rushes for him again, while the other makes a bee-line for Sakura and Tazuna. Sasuke sees it too, and since he's closer to Sakura and Tazuna, he runs to them, leaving Naruto staring at the other attacker with huge eyes. I sprint towards him, but it doesn't look like I'm gunna reach him in time. "Naruto get down!" I yell towards him just as I hurl my kunai towards the back of the attacker. I don't even look to see if I hit the target.

"You alright?" I ask Naruto, who's staring at something behind me.

"What's the-" I ask as I turn around, noticing the kunai knife stuck in a tree trunk. My brother stands in front of Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna, with that lazy expression on his face and an attacker under each arm. After a while they all go limp. "Hi" Kakashi greets pleasantly, and I can't help but laugh. "You are really something else" I say before I rip the kunai from the trunk and walk back towards him while Naruto stares at the scattered logs lying on the spot where Kakashi did his replacement jutsu.

"We're you expecting any less from me?" Kakashi replies back with humor in his voice.

"Nope. Not at all" He laughs quickly before walking ahead, pausing to address Naruto.

"I'm sorry I didn't help you right away...Amedoru pretty much beat me to you. I didn't mean for you to get hurt though. I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that."

"Good job Sasuke, very smooth. You guys too, Amedoru and Sakura. Looks like your..keener than I thought, Ame" Kakashi says before giving me a wink. Sasuke smirks. "Your not hurt are you? Scaredy cat" Naruto lets out a growl before his whole body tenses up and he's all riled up again. "Naruto! Keep still. Their claws have poison on them and we need to get it out of you." What? I think as I look Naruto over head to toe. Both my eyes and ears spot the blood dripping from three claw marks on Naruto's hand. I'm still too slow. Naruto starts panicking as Kakashi tells him what has to be done to get the poison out of his body. Kakashi sets the attackers down under a tree, and I hand him some rope from his backpack. Once they're secured tightly around the trunk, I take a second to look at the marking on their headbands.

"They're from the Hidden Mist Village, right?" I ask.

"Right. They're also Chunin. They're specialty is relentless attack. They keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice." One of the men tries to lunge towards me, but the rope doesn't even allow his body to raise even an inch from the tree trunk.

"How did you know about our ambush?" he asks.

"A puddle" Kakashi and I say together.

"After all, its a clear day." he says

"And it hasn't rained at all." I finish.

"Well in that case, why did you leave all the fighting to the Genin?" Tazuna asks.

"I could have taken them out easily. But then I would have learned nothing. I had to find out who their target was..and who they were after" Kakashi says, and his voice takes on a bit of a darker tone on those last few words. Only I notice the sharp side glance he shoots Tazuna. I contemplate his words as I stare at Tazuna. Why were those two men after him? Were they sent by someone? Tazuna questions Kakashi, and he explains it all to him, his theory and all.

"We're only Genin. This mission is too advanced for us, we should go back" Sakura says. "I really think we need to treat Naruto's wound as soon as possible so we can remove the poison. We can take him to a doctor back at the village." We all look at Naruto, whose sitting on a log, holding his hand up so he can inspect his wound. "Naruto's hand could become a problem' Kakashi sighs. "I guess we should take him back to the village." Naruto growls, and his blue eyes intensify as he whips out a kunai and drives it home into his wound with a yell. I immediately go off to the side and pick a handful of some familiar, grayish colored grass.

"Why am I always different?! Why am I always-"

"Naruto stop it!" Sakura yells at him "What are you doing?!" I remain in the woods off to the side, though I don't take my eyes off of Naruto. "I worked so hard to get here...pushing myself, training on my own for hours till it hurt! Anything to get stronger, to reach my dream. I will never back down again, and let someone else rescue me." He says, and with each word a drop of blood mixed with poison falls to the ground. "I will never run away. I will not loose to Sasuke. Upon this wound, I make this pledge, believe it! Bridge builder, I will complete this mission, and protect you with this kunai knife. I'll be fine, don't you guys worry about me. Lets go!" Naruto finishes, and I can't help but stay put. Don't worry Naruto, one day you won't have to be stuck just dreaming.

"Um, Naruto, that was..really cool and all how you took the poison out. But if you don't stop the bleeding, you're going to die" my brother states, eyeing the back of Naruto's bloody hand. I hold out my hands towards Naruto.

"That's what this is for. It'll take away some of the pain and help close the wound up quickly. Just make sure to keep pressure on it, okay?" I instruct Naruto as I take his uninjured hand and pour the grass into it. My eye catches something ..strange. Naruto's cut is glowing a faint orange, and it looks like its shrinking in size. He doesn't seem to notice. He's too busy looking at the grey grass in his other hand.

"Thanks a lot, Amedoru."

"Yeah, uh, anytime Naruto" I say with a smile before Kakashi comes up next to me, giving me a curious look. I bring my hand up to rest on my stomach, but the deep, somewhat faint vibrating seems to come from somewhere much deeper inside me.


	8. Land Of Waves Pt 2: Zabuza Vs Team 7

"Hey Amedoru..you okay? You look a little sick." Sakura whispers over to me, but I know Kakashi heard her anyways. He's staring at me from the corner of his eye. "Yeah I'm alright. Thanks though." I say with an easy smile. Sakura looks at me a moment longer before she settles back against the side of the boat, giving a quick glance over to Sasuke. I close my eyes and take a deep breath through my nose, which really doesn't help at all. This fog is thick beyond belief. Cold sweat beads up on my forehead, and even though the boat barely sways, I'm sick to my stomach. "I'm alright" I mouth to Kakashi, and with a subtle nod directs his gaze forward.

"The bridge isn't far now" the man rowing the boat says. " Our destination is just ahead-the Land Of Waves." And sure enough through narrowed eyes I can make out various darkened, semi-defined shapes through the fog. We pull up beside what looks to be a bridge near a few cranes that lift long metal bars from the ground.

"Whoa!" Naruto gasps "It's huge!"

"Quiet! I told you no noise when we're traveling like this" our row-man says before his voice eases into an almost whisper. "Cutting off the engine, rowing, moving through all this dense fog so people won't see us... "

Naruto's cheeks and ears burn red as he slaps both hands across his mouth, his entire body folding in on itself. My hand dips into the water and rests listlessly in the water, being pulled along with the boat. I stare a bit warily at Tazuna, who's looking anywhere but us all in the boat. What more was he not telling us? Is he expecting us to be attacked at any moment or something?

"Mr. Tazuna" My brother says. By his tone of voice I can tell he was caught a bit off-guard. "Before we reach the pier, I wan't to ask you something." he says with an edge to his voice. Tazuna hasn't said a word yet, just looks down at the floor of the boat. "The men who attacked you..I need to know why. And if you don't tell us why, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission once your dropped ashore." I really hope Tazuna starts talking. Overall Kakashi is uncommonly very patient, and I don't want to see what him losing his temper looks like.

"I have no choice but to tell you then." Tazuna says as he finally looks up. " After all, like you said this is beyond the scope of the original mission. I want you know the truth. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and dangerous shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" Kakashi interrupts before making a thoughtful noise. "Who is it?" he asks.

" I'm sure you know him, know his name. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet, Gato." At this my brother's eyes get wide.

"Huh? Gato? Of Gato transport? He's a business leader, everyone knows him!" "Hm.." I mutter just as Naruto starts asking a bunch of questions. The more Tazuna tells us about Gato, the more I want to find him and take him out. Maybe then the people of this land will be free again.

"So thats it." Sakura says with a hand on her chin. " You're in charge of the bridge so that means you're standing in his way."

"It all makes sense now" I add in.

" That means those guys we fought in the forest were working for Gato." Sasuke says. Naruto rests his head on one hand and makes this weird grumbling noise.

"I don't understand" my brother says in a calmer tone. " If you knew they were dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, then why did you hide that from us?" Tazuna lowered his eyes.

"Because..the Land Of Waves is a small, impoverished nation. Even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge can't pay for an "A" or "B" ranked mission. So if you end this mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home. Of course my sweet little grandson will be upset..maybe start crying." I take my hand out of the water and rest in my lap, giving Tazuna a nice, long look. He's tough, but really seems to care deeply about this land, and its people. "Oh, and my daughter of course will most likely blame and denounce the ninja of the Hidden Leaf for abandoning her father and live the rest of her life in sorrow."

Sakura and Naruto both duck their heads a little lower, and the guilty sounds the both of them make get a little louder. Sasuke, however, just looks at Tazuna with a blank expression. "Oh well, its not your fault. Just forget about it." Tazuna continues, and this time my brother, teammates, and I all groan as one. Kakashi scratches the metal front of his headband before a sweat-drop runs down the side of his face. He turns to Tazuna with a smile.

"Well, it looks like we have no choice. We'll keep guarding you."

"Oh! Well then, I'm very grateful."

As we approach shore, the boat floats under a cement tunnel with dim orange lights lined up at the top. I crane my head back to look up at them, getting the tips of my hair wet. The white light up ahead is one big ball that gets bigger the closer we get to it, and when the very tip of the boat touches it, everything seems to melt, and for a second all I can feel is warmth. Of course, all this happens in a matter of seconds, and when the tunnel is behind us, I look around at all the humble, yet beautiful houses and a small cluster of trees that sits right in the middle of some kind of lake we're floating on. My hand goes back in the water, and something scaly brushes up against my fingertips before the boat comes to a stop right next to a dock. It's time to set out on foot again.

* * *

I cast a curious look over to my brother. He's walking sort've bent over, and this plus the worried look in his eye makes him seem worn out. He notices me watching him, and straightens up before giving me an eye smile and waving his hand, telling me "its nothing". Sasuke walks up to Naruto, who's leading all of us up the path, and the two of them stare at each other before Naruto growls and races up ahead, surveying the area before taking out a kunai and hurling it into the bushes. "Over there!" he shouts, and all of us hold our breath. I wait a minute before walking over to where Naruto threw the kunai. If he hit someone, we definately would have heard something. "Ame.." Kakashi says warily as I approach the bushes. I take out a kunai of my own, and once he sees it he relaxes. I hold it out in front of me just as my hand parts some of the bush away, and once I see what Naruto hit, I let loose my breath and try to pick up the animal as gently as possible.

"Whew, it was just a mouse." I hear Naruto say, followed by Sakura:

"You idiot! It wasn't a mouse! We all see through your stupid act..your so stupid its embarrassing"

As I raise myself from the ground, Naruto, Sakura, and Tazuna's arguing comes to a halt as an audible whooshing sound flies past my ear right into the trunk before me. I stay frozen to the spot.

"Naruto! Those are kunai knives! They're dangerous!" my brother reprimands.

"Wait a minute...oh man, AMEDORU!" Naruto shouts just as I push through the bushes, getting a few leaves in my hair.

"Its alright Naruto, I'm fine. And I'm pretty sure this rabbit will be too.." I say as I hold it out to him.

"See? Look at what you did!" Sakura says angrily. Naruto makes a noise before taking the rabbit from my arms and squeezing it to his chest, nuzzling its face with his own. "Oh I'm so sorry, rabbit" I watch Naruto for a minute before I notice that my brother's standing farther out with his back facing us. He looks up to the side. "What is it?" I ask before me ears tingle. His eye widens. "Get down!" he shouts. Something comes flying towards us from out of the tree tops before embedding itself in solid bark. A huge sword..I think. In a flash, someone appears on the blade's hilt. I help Tazuna up as my brother walks closer towards the man.

"Well well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi. Rouge ninja from the Village Hidden In The Mist." Zabuza...why does his name sound so familiar? One of Naruto's legs sweeps behind him before he sprints for the tree. My brother's hand stops him.

"You're in the way. Get back."

"But why?!" Naruto yells.

"This guy is different from the ones before. he's on a whole different level." Kakashi says before his hand reaches up to his face. "If he's our opponent, I'll need this." Oh man...this guy must be the real deal if he has to use his Sharingan. This will be the first time in a very long while that I 'll get to see it put to use. Zabuza chuckles.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan..did I get that right? It's really too bad..but you'll have to hand over the old man." My whole body tenses.

"Now quick! Mongi Formation! Protect the client at all costs, and stay out of this fight." my brother shoots a quick glance at me before staring at Zabuza. "I taught you teamwork, so use it."

Zabuza turns around so he's facing all of us. "Looks like I'll get to see the Sharingan in action..this is an honor."

I focus all my attention on Zabuza while Sasuke explains to Naruto what the Sharingan is. Any time I ask my brother about the Sharingan, he's reluctant to talk about it. But nonetheless, I know enough about it to understand that we've got our hands full. Kakashi especially.

"You got it right, boy, but you've only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze an opponents technique, and then copy it down to the slightest detail." Zabuza says as a wave of thick mist rolls in. I can make out all the people around me though, Naruto the most with his orange jumpsuit and yellow hair. " We assassins of the Hidden Mist have orders to kill you on sight. Your profile was in our Bingo Book. It says you have copied over a thousand jutsu..Kakashi, the Copy Ninja."

I swallow a big lump in my throat. I already know my brothers famous around most areas as well as why, but to know that their are people out there, people like Zabuza, who know as much about him as most of the Hidden Leaf scares me. "Enough talking." Zabuza says as he crouches down. "I need to exterminate the old man."

Upon those words I join my teammates in a protective ring around Tazuna, all the while not taking my eyes off my brother and Zabuza. "So, I'll have to eliminate you first then, eh Kakashi? Well so be it then." Zabuza flies from the tree onto a lake nearby, and I recognize his hand signs as that of Water Style. "Ninja Art! Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

"He vanished" Naruto says.

"He's still here..watching us." I mutter as I eye my brother nervously. "Kakashi.." I say, all the while trying to keep my voice from cracking. This isn't the time to be scared.

"He'll come after me first" Kakashi says.

"Who is he, exactly?" Sakura asks.

" Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the Assassination Unit of the Hidden Mist. He's a master of the Silent- Killing Technique."

"S-silent?" Naruto asks.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, without sound and warning. It's so fast you pass from this life without knowing what just happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't. lower. your. guard."

I whip my eyes side to side, then up to the trees even though looking won't do us all any good.

"Well, if we fail the most we lose if our lives" Kakashi says a bit somberly. Only I understand he's just trying to lighten the mood, make us feel a little better. He has a...strange sense of humor sometimes.

"How can you say that?" Sakura asks angrily, but Kakashi doesn't answer her. The mist gets thicker by the second, and it isn't long before my brother disappears from right in front of me. I think about calling out to him, but stop myself. My gut's telling me its best to keep a low profile, even though Zabuza already knows exactly where we are. The goosebumps that suddenly appear on my arms confirm this.

"He's near" I say. His voice comes through the fog.

"Eight points.." Sakura gasps. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart..now..which will be my attack point?" A flash of blue light breaks through the fog, and before I know it, it dissipates, revealing my brother standing in the same spot he was before. Somethings wrong with Sasuke. Its like a wave of enormous fear goes through me. I glance next to me, and almost jump back at the mad look in his eyes. He raises his kunai with shaky hands, but before he can plunge it into himself, I rest a hand atop his, and gently force them down. Sasuke looks at me with wide eyes, and I wish I could just say something already to help him out.

"Sasuke." my brother says. "Calm down. I'll protect you with my life. _All _of you. I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me." At this Kakashi turns around wearing that eye smile of his, and almost immediately I feel a little better.

"I wouldn't be so sure.." an eerie voice sounds...from right behind me. My breath hitches in my throat, and I turn my head to the side slowly until I see a head of messy, black hair.

"It's over" Zabuza says as his hands go for the giant sword strapped to his back. Kakashi pivots on his feet, and rushes towards us, and we all jump back just in time to watch as Zabuza collapses to the ground as a pool of water. It was only a clone..which means...

"Behind you!" I shout as Kakashi turns around, getting rid of the second water clone. Suddenly the real Zabuza comes out of nowhere, and with a yell swings his sword into my brother, chopping him in half. Water droplets spray across my face.

"Don't move" the real Kakashi says as he holds a kunai to Zabuza's neck. "Now its over."

* * *

It seems like we all stand there. Zabuza and my brother are stock still. Kakashi doesn't so much as blink. "You're finished" he says

"Alright!" Naruto cheers with a big smile while Sakura giggles to herself, and even though I want it to, the relief from both of them doesn't wash over me. Zabuza chuckles, and Kakashi's eyes narrow. An odd noise arises from the back of my throat.

"Finished...you really don't get it, do you? your technique is nothing but a krass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a mere copy-cat ninja like you!" Zabuza says, and my teeth grit together. He has no right insulting my brother. "You are full of surprises, though" Zabuza continues. "You copied my water clone jutsu and made your own when you gave that little speech...very skillfully executed. You had your clone say those words to divert my attention, while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move...nice try, but I'm not that easy to fool." Zabuza finishes before turning into another puddle of water.

"Hey, he was a clone too!" Naruto exclaims just before another Zabuza appears behind Kakashi. This is definately the real one. Zabuza's sword swings down on Kakashi, and if it weren't for the pair of hands gripping my shoulders, I'd be over there. Kakashi ducks just in time, only to be kicked into the air by Zabuza.

"Let go!" I say as I try to wriggle free. I turn my head around and almost drop my jaw. Tazuna looks down at me sternly before shaking his head to the side once. Zabuza drags his sword through the dirt, leaving a thin trail before sprinting over to my teammates and I. He comes to an abrupt halt, staring down at the spikes in front of him. "Trying to slow me down, huh?" Wait, who put those there? Before I can fling the shuriken clenched between my fingers, Zabuza leaps backwards and into the lake...the same place Kakashi landed after Zabuza kicked him. I finally manage to twist out of Tazuna's grip, and race over to the edge of the lake, but its too late, followed by my teammates and Tazuna. Kakashi's already trapped inside a giant sphere of water.

"This prison is made out of water, but is strong as steel.." I hear Zabuza say to Kakashi. 'Hm..so much for the great Kakashi. Ill take care of you, but I'm afraid your little friends will have to go first. Water Clone Jutsu!" he says, bringing his hand in front of him to make the sign. Water lifts up from the lake before taking the form of Zabuza, and Naruto's breathing becomes a startled gasp. "You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja? When you've hovered between life and death so many times to where it doesn't phase you..then maybe you can be called a ninja." Zabuza says as he stares at Naruto. While he's talking, I try to coax a million different strategies into my mind..but I only end up pulling blank cards. What would Shikamaru do? With a frustrated sigh, I clench the shuriken in my hand, and I stare at Zabuza..waiting for the right moment. I throw it as hard, and as quickly as I can, but Zabuza only lifts up his arm, blocking the shuriken with it. He laughs as he yanks it free before tossing it off to the side. I think he thinks Naruto was the one to throw it, because without any warning he speeds towards him, sending him flying into the air before stepping on hire headband that came off during the process.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouts.

"Listen! Get the bridge builder and get out of here! He's using all his chakra to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone! But the clone can't go far from his real body. I f you get away from it, he can't follow! Now run!"

"No way!" I yell, taking a step towards Zabuza's clone, who raises his eyebrows. I take out a kunai before charging towards him, ignoring the protests from my teammates. Zabuza rests his hand on the hilt of his sword, and I close in on him, taking a shuriken and flinging it at him before leaping up and over him. The lake is right in front of me now, and before I have enough time to think about what I'm doing, I put a foot onto the water. It sinks, so I put my other foot on top, focusing my chakra to the soles of my feet like Kakashi had taught me a while back. I sprint across the water before slamming my kunai onto the giant sphere of water . A strong vibration travels up the blade and through my hand and fingers, flinging me back a few feet. Water slides up in a wave on either side of me before it dies down. I'm still on top the water. That's when I remember what Zabuza had said about the water prison.. _"__..strong as steel.." _

"Amedoru, stop! This prison is too strong, you need to get back to the group!" Kakashi yells out to me. The real Zabuza laughs darkly. "There's no way I'm gunna leave you here. I'm gunna get you out" I say to him. I can do this..I say to myself before eyeing Zabuza, who stares at me with amused eyes. They travel over me from head to feet.

"Hm.." He hums to himself. " It seems my suspicions were right after all..the hair.. eyes...your bravery. Well well, Kakashi. This wasn't in my Bingo Book. I can't wait to add her in..." Kakashi raises his hands up, pushing against the water prison. Zabuza turns his head and laughs at him..and thats when I see my opening. I charge forward again, but this time I have a different target in mind. Zabuza's laughter cuts off as I near him, and as I close in on him he brings his hand in front of him, and a water clone appears in front of me, and even though it slows me down, it doesn't stop me. I swing my arm out and aim for his stomach, but his strong hand wraps around my wrist, squeezing so hard a small grunt comes from my lips. I lift my leg up, but that too is blocked. I struggle a second before whipping out a kunai with my free hand and jab it into the clone's side. My wrist and leg are released. "Hm.." Zabuza muses, turning his head to Kakashi. I'm sure I have him, but before I can land a finger on him, he reels back and slaps me hard across the face, sending me flying backwards onto the water. "AME!" Kakashi yells. I get up a bit shakily, before going into a defensive stance. I spare a look back at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, and see they have their hands full with Zabuza's other clone. Kakashi too, stares at them. He addresses us all:

"What are you doing?! I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I was caught! Your mission was not to prove how brave you are! It's to save the bridge builder-stay on mission!" the real Zabuza clucks his tongue at Kakashi.

"Oh, come now big brother, let the brats carry on." Zabuza cocks his head to me. "Lets go, little sister. Show me what you got." I groan and look down at the water, trying to come up with a new strategy. Taking him head-on is out of the question, and even though he's busy with one hand, he can just use the other to make more water clones. I can't take on too many at once, or I'll be a goner for good. I look back at my teammates and Tazuna. My ears picked up on Naruto's plan..and so far it sounds like it'll work. It's the timing I'm worried about. All of a sudden Zabuza's clone starts talking about some kind of graduation exam, or some kind of ceremony or something, and Kakashi's eyes widen a little before he explains it all to us, with Zabuza adding his own input. "It..it felt so...good!" Zabuza's clone says before slamming an arm into Sasuke. I pivot around, and Sasuke and I make eye contact . He shakes his head "no", and through his eyes I can understand his message: "We can handle it here" I nod to him before I stand up fully on the water, sweeping my leg back behind me much like Naruto had done earlier. As soon as Naruto summons his shadow clones, I take off again towards Zabuza, with nothing but my clenched fists as a weapon. He chuckles darkly before kicking his leg out at the last second, forcing all the air in my body out of my mouth. For a second all I see is the sky above me before I slam down onto the water, bouncing a few times. "AMEDORU!" my brother shouts. I close my eyes and release the chakra from my body, making sure to keep my face towards the sky as I sink under the water.

When I'm sure I'm deep enough under the water, I position myself onto my stomach and bring my hands in front of me . I wince a little at the aching pain on my stomach before closing my eyes. I use the transformation jutsu to change into a fish, making sure my scales are the same color as the water. Even though I'm under water, as well as in another form, my hearing remains the same, and Naruto's unmistakable voice fills my head. "Get ready." I swim towards the two dark shadows, going around Zabuza's before positioning myself behind the shadow of his feet. "Demon-Wind Shuriken! Windmill Of Shadows!" I hear Sasuke yell. It's almost time. My ears sense the shuriken getting closer and closer, and this time its Sasuke's voice in my mind.

"Wait."

The shuriken stops in its path, and I know without seeing that Zabuza managed to catch it. I wait like Sasuke told me to do, growing more nervous by the second. Then it all disappears when I hear the second shuriken come flying. When It makes an audible "pop!" I change back into my human form and transfer all my chakra into both of my arms. I kick towards the surface and push my arms through the water before latching them onto Zabuza's ankles, holding him in place so he can't use his legs to dodge Naruto's kunai knives. He struggles in my grasp, but surprisingly all the chakra I transported to my arms is strong enough to keep him stabilized. Looking up, I see Zabuza pull his hand from out the water prison just in time for the kunai to graze against his arm. I pull down hard onto his ankles and use them to catapult myself from out the water, and when I break through the surface I pull my arm back and slam my fist as hard as I can into the underside of his jaw. Zabuza grunts and skids back a few feet across the water. I hunch over a little at the spurt of pain in my stomach before I scan the lake for any sign of my brother. Zabuza and I are the only ones on the water.

"When I get my hands on you.." Zabuza snarls as he sprints over to me, raising the shuriken over his head. I cross my arms and bring them up in front of me to hopefully absorb most of the force, but even though I'm ready for it..it never comes. I open my eyes slowly and see my brother standing in front of me, a dripping mess. His spiky hair hangs down in his face. "You're dealing with me now." he growls. Naruto's head breaks the surface of the water and he gasps for breath. "Whoo hoo!" he hollers, a big grin on his face. I smile back at him and give him a thumbs-up. The plan went down nice and smoothly. Kakashi flicks his eyes over to the both of us. "That was an excellent plan you two." His eyes travel to Naruto. "You've really grown, haven't you?" Naruto chuckles. "I knew I couldn't beat him with my shadow clones-that was just a distraction, so I turned myself into the Demon-Wind Shuriken! He didn't know what to do, believe it! When I tossed the shuriken at Sasuke, it looked completely real, and when he knew it was me, he turned around so no one could see him pull out his own shuriken! I hid in the shadow of the real shuriken and aimed for the real Zabuza so he could break his hold on that water prison." "Don't brag, you just lucked out" Sasuke said in an amused voice. "The whole thing was just a fluke!" Tazuna shouted. Kakashi looks at me questioningly. "The reason I took so long to attack the real Zabuza the second time is because I was listening in on Naruto and Sasuke's plan. They included me because I was already in a good attacking position-right here on the lake with the both of you. Even though I knew attacking Zabuza head-on wouldn't work, I did anyways that way he could block me, and when I went down I could make it look like he stomped me for good. So I pretended to sink underwater, where I used the transformation justu to turn into a fish. I waited for the signal and then swam behind Zabuza so I could hold him steady by the ankles in human form so he couldn't use his legs in anyway to both block and attack. You can figure out the rest from there." I finish, trying to steady my breathing.

"I got distracted and released my water prison." Zabuza says. Kakashi scoffs.

"Please. Don't flatter yourself. You weren't distracted, you were forced to let go. Your technique worked on me once, but it won't work again. So, whats it gunna be?" Zabuza scoffs before folding the shuriken in so that all the blades press down onto my brothers hand at once. Kakashi grunts and groans in pain as his whole arm shakes, and I hiss at the incredible pain in my hand. The shuriken goes flying into the air..as well as Zabuza and my brother. We all watch in amazement as my brother copies Zabuza's hand signs and words exactly. The both of them in perfect sync. I stare in fascination at the two water dragons that twist up out of the water before my eyes widen. I jog over to Naruto. "We gotta get out of here" I say just as a wave rolls in, washing over the both of us. When I come to the surface again, I see my brother and Zabuza, the both of them face-to-face. And to my horror, the only thing keeping Zabuza's giant sword from my brother is one kunai knife. From there my brother manages to copy all of Zabuza's movements, and it even seems like he can read his mind. Kakashi creates some kind of water vortex, and I start to kick backwards with Naruto following. Both of us can't look away from the sight before us. The waves from the vortex toss Naruto and I around, and before I travel all the way downstream, I spot Naruto holding onto a tree branch. "Here, Amedoru!" he shouts, and I grab onto his ankle, choking on water as it rushes up my nose and down my throat.

The water calms down, and Naruto pulls himself up the slope of land before tugging me up with him. "Are you alright?" he asks. I nod my head, still coughing up water. The both of us tense at the sight of a strange person in a mask standing on a tree branch ahead of us. I stop coughing once I see Zabuza's wide, staring eyes that already look cold with death. Kakashi jumps down from a tree branch and crouches next to Zabuza's body. He presses two fingers to Zabuza's neck before he sighs and pulls them away.

"No vital signs." he says. The person in the mask bows.

"Thank you. I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time..waiting for this chance to finally take him down."

"By your mask I can tell you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden In The Mist." Kakashi says, looking up at the tracker.

"Impressive. You're well informed.."

Naruto and I rush over to everyone. "A tracker!" Naruto gasps as he crouches down, preparing to fight again.

"Naruto, you don't even know what that is. A tracker ninja has an important role.." Sakura begins explaining, and I look up at the tracker. The mask sort've creeps me out. Sakura's voice carries on in the background. Its really amazing, all the information she knows. Naruto charges forward until he's right in front of the tree the tracker's in. He points a finger up at him.

"Who do you think you are?!" he asks angrily, and I cock my head to the side. "Did you hear me?!" Naruto asks again when he gets no response. Kakashi stands up.

"Easy, Naruto. He's not our enemy."

"That's not the point! Did you see what he did just like that? Zabuza was huge..and powerful like some kind of monster, and this kid who's no bigger than me brought him down with one move! I mean, what does that make us then? We don't know anything! How can I accept that?!" I think I see now..Naruto feels..small. At least compared to this tracker kid. Kakashi walks until he's next to Naruto.

"Well, even if you don't accept it, still, it did happen Naruto." Kakashi plops a hand atop Naruto's head. "In this world there are kids younger than you, and yet stronger than me."

I absorb his words and watch as the tracker appears next to Zabuza's body in a swirl of wind and leaves. "Your struggle is over now." he says. "I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body that must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me..farewell." Then the both of them are gone. Kakashi sighs before lowering his headband over his Sharingan eye. Naruto runs over and stops at the spot where the tracker and Zabuza disappeared.

"He's gone..let it go, Naruto" my brother says as Naruto drops down on his knees and begins punching the earth with his fists. "Aargh! What are we doing here?!" he growls. Kakashi grabs his arm in mid-air.

"As ninja, the things we do are never easy. Save your anger for the next enemy." Naruto stops. "We still haven't completed our mission yet. We have to get the bridge builder..to his bridge" Tazuna laughs and tips his hat.

"I'm sorry to cause all this trouble, but um, you can rest up at my place when we get there."

Kakashi walks back over to us. "Alright, lets get a move on." he says..before his eye grows wide and he stops mid-step, his whole body shaking. He starts to fall face forward, but before he can collapse to the ground, I hold out my hands and stop him and lye him gently on the ground, turning him over on his back.

"What happened?!" Sakura says in a panicky voice. "Kakashi Sensei?!" Naruto yells. I slide an arm under my brothers shoulders and lift him up, putting my fingers against his neck while my breathing becomes choppy. Suddenly there's two of everything, and my stomach lurches.

"Its alright. He..he just over-did himself. We gotta take-take him to Tazuna's place." I look up at him, trying to force his other two self's back into the original. "Please."

He kneels on the ground next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Of course. Lets get going." He helps me lift my brother up, and we begin to walk. Kakashi's body is limp between us both, and his head sags forward. Sasuke gives me a look, and even reaches out a hand to take my brother from me.

"I got him. It's okay." He nods.


	9. Land Of Waves Pt 3:Training Resumes

_**Thank you wolfgirl12345 for reviewing and favoring this story. I really appreciate all the support. ~lastoftheamericandreamers**_

* * *

_Flashback:_

_ When the final bell signaled the end of class at the academy, Amedoru followed the herd of children to the front doors. She took her time on the way out, watching her classmates race past her with huge grins and relieved cheers. After all, she knew her brother would more than likely be late to pick her up again. When this happens, usually she and Shikamaru just walked home together, but to her disappointment, he wasn't in class today. Amedoru was the last one out the doors, her eyes noticing a man in a one-of-a-kind green jumpsuit by a tree waving wildly. She ran over to Gai and into his waiting arms, hugging him around the neck. Not only was he a good friend of her brother, he was like family to her, and he often played with her whenever he visited the Hatake home. _

_"There she is!" Gai laughed as he set her down before taking her hand. This wasn't the first time Gai picked her up from the academy, though he did so rarely. _

_When they passed by a turn in the road that led to the Hatake home, Amedoru looked up at Gai with glazed over eyes. She was beginning to feel..very tired. And she couldn't stop wondering why her brother sent Gai for her when he knew that she could just walk home with Shikamaru. Did he know Shikamaru wasn't at school? She pulled down lightly on Gai's hand, and the two came to a stop. _

_"Is something wrong with my brother?" _

_Gai sighed and looked down at Amedoru. He gave her a smile, but it was soon replaced by a worried, straight line. He brought his hand to rest on top her head. There's no use lying to the little one..he thought to himself... Not when she's probably already starting to feel the exhaustion.._

_"Well, he um.. .over-did himself on the last mission he was on, and he's resting up in the hospital now. That's where we're heading towards." _

_Amedoru's eyes widened with worry, and Gai squatted down till he was about her height. Looking her in the eyes, he gave her that flashy,toothy smile of his. "Now don't you worry one bit. Your brother is one of the toughest guys in the whole village..well, not tougher than I am, of course. But anyways, With plenty of rest, he'll be up before you know it!" _

_The little girl just nodded her head, and the two began walking again. _

_"So..how's Lee?" _

_ Gai smiled so big the skin around his eyes wrinkled. _

_"Lee is just splendid! Growing every day, just like you." _

_Gai didn't let go of Amedoru's hand until they both peeked their heads in the doorway of Kakashi's room. No nurses or doctors were inside. Amedoru stared at the sleeping, still form of her brother before Gai gave her hand a strong squeeze and gently pushed her inside. She walked over to the side of Kakashi's bed, and his un-masked eye opened a fraction before he lifted up a hand and waved weakly._

* * *

Tazuna's loud voice breaks the peaceful silence we've all been traveling in, and the name "Tsunami" bounces around my head. The stabbing, sharp pain is so bad that I shut my eyes before lifting my head up at the sound of running footsteps. Instinctively, my grip on Kakashi's wrist and mid-section tightens. A pretty, raven-haired lady runs over to Tazuna, who helped me carry my unconscious brother all this way. He shows no sign of being tired, save for his sweaty forehead. He leans over without breaking his hold on Kakashi to whisper briefly in her ear before the woman, who must be his daughter, leads us through the front door of their house. Sakura falls behind and speaks into Tsunami's ear quietly,and the both of them glance over at me before Tsunami eyes Kakashi. Tazuna and I take him into a room and lye him down gently onto an already-made mat on the floor. As soon as he's settled, I pull the green cover up to his chin. From the corner of my eye I see Sasuke lean against the wall, watching. Tsunami walks in with a bowl of water, a rag, and several bandages. She treats Naruto and Sasuke first, and by the time she walks over to me the water in the bowl is a dim reddish color.

"Your friend told me she saw you get kicked pretty hard. Mind if I take a look?" I nod my head to her and lift my shirt up. Tsunami bandages it quickly, and to my relief, no one watches. She goes over and kneels next to Kakashi's head.

"And this one? My father told me what happened. He looks to be in bad shape.."

"He'll be okay. He just needs time to rest up" I say, my voice coming out a bit slurred. Tsunami looks at me with concerned eyes before she stands up.

"We'll be happy to share our home with you. Dinner's already done, how about you guys come and eat? "

I don't want to leave my brother, but I don't want to be rude to Tsunami and Tazuna either, so I follow everyone to the kitchen and finish most of whats on my plate. Everyone around the table is silent, even Naruto, who pushes his food around on his plate slowly. I nudge Sakura's leg under the table, and when she looks up I give her a smile. She gets a confused look on her face before she understands. Eating something actually makes me feel better, and as soon as I'm done I go back to the room Kakashi's in, plop down on crossed legs, and rest my chin on my hands.

* * *

My eyes flutter open to the sound of someone groaning. I sit up straight, and a thick blanket falls around me. My brother groans again before his eye opens slowly. He stares at the ceiling a moment before he looks around the room, stopping when he sees me. He tries to sit up, so I scoot closer towards him and slide an arm under his shoulders, easing him up nice and slow.

"Hey there... feeling any better?" I ask. He makes a noise.

"I've been better, honestly. But yeah, better than..how long was I out?" He asks. Just when my mouth opens to answer him, Tsunami walks in the room with a concerned expression on her face.

"Looks like I over-did it again, huh Ame?" Kakashi says before forcing himself upwards again. When he's fully upright I take my arm from his shoulders, but keep a hand resting on his back just in case.

"I really think its best if you rest some more. How about you just lye back down." Tsunami suggests. Kakashi sighs before settling back onto the pillow, pulling the cover over him.

"Right."

Tsunami takes her hands off her hips and looks at me.

"And how are you feeling?" I stand up and fold the blanket quickly before handing it back to her.

"I feel much better, thanks."

Several footsteps near, and Sakura peeks her head around the door before walking inside the room followed by Naruto, Sasuke, and Tazuna.

"Hey look, Kakashi-Sensei's coming around." Naruto says.

Sakura kneels across from me next to Kakashi. "Listen Sensei, your Sharingan is amazing and all, but if it puts that much strain on you, maybe its not worth it." I snicker to myself. This isn't the first time my brothers gotten a lecture about over-doing it. "

"Sorry" Kakashi says just as I think it mentally.

"Well you did take down one of the most powerful ninja-assassins..so we'll be safe for awhile." Tazuna says as he scratches the back of his head.

"Right..but what about the boy in the mask?" Sakura asks.

"He's from the elite tracking unit from the Hidden mist Village" my brother says, staring at the ceiling. "Those masks are worn only by the elite shinobi. You might recognize them as worn by the ANBU Black Ops..." my brother begins. What he's saying doesn't come as a surprise. For some reason I get the impression that Sasuke's thinking the same thing. "..for instance, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, he'd try to analyze my Sharingan. In the worst case, my entire jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village.." And what a complete disaster that would be..." ..It is the secret duty of trackers to prevent this, to keep village secrets safe. When a ninja betrays his village, he is hunted down by trackers until he is obliterated with nothing left. That's their specialty."

Suddenly Kakashi presses a hand to his face, and I reach out my own before pulling it back. I recognize that look in his eye. There's something bothering him...something that's making him really think.

"Kakashi, what is it?" I ask after a moment. He remains silent.

"Hey, are you okay? Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto asks, and my brother removes his hand from his face.

"Hm? Oh yeah, to finish what I was saying, tracker-ninja deal with the body right on the spot so there's no room for error."

"Wait..so how come the tracker we met in the woods didn't do that with Zabuza's body?" I ask, remembering the way the both of them disappeared in a whirl of wind and leaves.

"Exactly my point. He should have worked on Zabuza right there as quickly as possible. Think of the weapons he used for the take-down. Remember what they were?"

"Throwing needles..no way." Sasuke says.

"That's right. But none of this adds up.." Kakashi trails off just as Tazuna walks through the door.

"What are you going on about?"

"Here's the truth. Zabuza's still alive" Tazuna, Naruto, and Sakura's faces turn pale.

"WHAT?!" They all yell in unison. The more Kakashi explains, the more it all comes together. I remember the tracker in the woods, and how he had slung his arm around Zabuza's body. It was pretty casual, relaxed. Like he's known him his whole life.

"Are you sure you're not just over-thinking all this?" Tazuna asks. I shake my head.

"It all makes too much sense."

Naruto's whole body shakes as his hands clench into fists before he relaxes, and a smirk grows onto his face. He chuckles quietly.

"Soo..how are we supposed to prepare for this when you can barely move, Sensei?" Sakura asks.

Kakashi starts laughing. "I cant still train you." Sakura starts protesting. "Sakura." my brother says. "How do you think I managed to defeat Zabuza?" she doesn't answer, so he continues. "It's because you all helped me. You've all grown." Kakashi's eye curves down into an eye-smile. "Naruto, you've grown the most." And isn't that the truth. If it weren't for Naruto's plan, my brother..well he might have..

"So you noticed, Kakashi-Sensei! Things are gunna get even better, believe it!"

"Well I don't believe it! And nothing's gunna get better!" an angry voice sounds. We all turn and see a little boy in a bucket hat. His big black eyes look..very sad. Angry even. It almost reminds me of the way Kakashi's eyes used to look from a long time ago. Almost.

"Who are you?!" Naruto yells, pointing a finger at the boy.

Tazuna gasps before he opens his arms wide. "Ah! Inari! Where've you been?" The little boy, Inari, runs over to Tazuna and wraps his arms tightly around his middle.

"Welcome back, Grandpa!"

Tsunami walks over to the two with her hands on her hips. "Inari! That was very rude! These ninja saved your grandpa and brought him here safely!" Inari pulls away from Tazuna and stands up, facing Tsunami.

"Mom don't you see? These people are gunna die! Gato and his men will come back and find them and wipe them out!" Naruto leaps to his feet and starts yelling again.

"What did you say brat?!" he points a finger at Inari with a determined face. "Listen up, you know what a super-ninja is? Well thats me, only a lot better. I'm gunna be Hokage! This Gato, or Plato, or whatever he's called is no match for a hero like me!" Inari just looks up at Naruto from under the rim of his bucket hat.

"There's no such thing as heroes. You're just full of stupid ideas!" Naruto stalks forward, and Sakura grabs him by the back of his shoulders before grabbing a fistful of his hair.

"Naruto, you need to calm down!"

"Naruto.." I say before Inari gets up and walks towards the door, pausing to look over his shoulder at all of us. "If you want to stay alive, you'll go back where you came from."

"Inari wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asks.

"To look at the ocean. I wanna be alone." When the door slides shut, Tazuna lets out a heavy sigh and turns to us.

"Sorry bout that.."

Naruto continues to growl to himself before stalking towards the doors and sliding them open.. and for some reason, I just can't look away.

* * *

Since there's still some daylight left, Kakashi insists we resume our training as soon as possible. He tries to lift himself from the floor by himself, and when he pauses to catch his breath, I bend down and sling his arm around my shoulders, pulling him up with me. He gets this sheepish look before Tsunami holds a pair of crutches out to us. After thanking her, we make our way a bit slowly out of Tazuna's house, and into the forest near it. Since my brother has crutches now, he doesn't need me to help him, but I still walk near him just in case.

"Alright, training starts now." he says as we all come to a stop in a small clearing with plenty of trees nearby. "First, we'll begin with a review of chakra, a ninjas basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential."

"We know that" Sasuke says in a semi-annoyed voice.

"He's right. A long time ago we learned about..uh..katra." Naruto says, and I laugh as quietly as I can when my brother's head sags forward.

"Chakra." he sighs.

"Oh yeah. That's right." Naruto says, laughing nervously.

Sakura, our little scholar, steps forward, and my brother gives her the okay to explain to Naruto all about chakra. When she's finished Kakashi nods approvingly. "Right on all points. Iruka-Sensei really did have some excellent students.

" What's with all the complicated explanations?!" Naruto shouts, and my brother explains.

" Like Sakura said, you have to draw on both spiritual and physical energy, and then combine them within yourself. But, how do you do that?" Kakashi then begins explaining all about how to combine chakra. Its pretty funny, his explanation is almost word for word the same as the one he gave to me when I was younger.

"Uh, so how do we change that?" Naruto asks.

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature. To achieve this you must be ready to put your life on the line."

"What..do we do?" Sakura asks, and a smile grows on my face.

"Climb a tree" Kakashi and I say at the same time, giving each other amused looks. This is exactly how Kakashi had taught me before. It wasn't too long after he caught me and Shikamaru trying to hop the village gates that he approached me with a "new idea" that had "come to him so suddenly". Looking back on it now, I can't help but think that having to use a tree, of all things, is pretty ironic.

"Climb a tree?!" all my teammates shout.

"That's right. But there's just one thing" Kakashi says. "No hands."

"Your'e kidding" Sakura says with a grumpy look.

"Am I? Let's see" my brother says before making the hand sign and shuffling over to a nearby tree on his crutches. Even though I don't think trying to scale a tree in his condition is safe, I know that he has to show Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura so they can get an idea of what it's supposed to be like. He scales upwards even higher, Naruto and Sakura gasping the whole way, before Kakashi pauses and waves his arm.

"Come on up, Amedoru! I think I see a nest or something up ahead."

"Be right up!" I shout before walking to the base of the trunk.

" SAY WHAT? YOU CAN DO IT TO?!" Naruto shouts while Sasuke and Sakura look at me with a single raised eyebrow. I make the hand-sign before putting one foot onto the trunk.

"It's a bit of another story.." I say with a smile before I scale upwards, feeling that familiar stomach-drop . It's sort've been awhile since I've done this. Sure enough, I spot a nest just to the side of me, and I pause to look at the pale, pinkish eggs before swinging onto the branch above my brother and releasing the jutsu.

"Bring back any memories?" he asks amusedly, and I lean against the trunk with a leg on either side of the branch.

"Don't make me kick you off this tree." I joke with an embarrassed laugh. He chuckles before turning his attention back to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

"So now you get the idea. Focus your chakra towards the soles if your feet and then use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of chakra"

"Wait a minute, how is this supposed to help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura asks, and I think about Zabuza's water prison..water in general, before answering her question.

"Well Zabuza's specialty is water-based justu..so being able to transport chakra with our feet'll help us fight him whenever he's on water, because we'll all be able to stand on it with him, and not sink." I finish.

"That's right. Your feet is the most difficult place to transport chakra to, so if you can master this, you'll be able to master any jutsu. Get the picture now?" Kakashi says before continuing. "The second point is to learn how to maintain your chakra levels. When a ninja is in battle, its even harder to focus and maintain chakra levels-a deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining chakra must become second nature. Effortless." While Kakashi had taught me all this at a young age, there are still times when I have difficulty with it. "Well we could talk about this all day, but that wouldn't do any good, would it?" Kakashi says before taking out three kunai and throwing them downwards so that my teammates each got one. 'Use the kunai knife to mark the highest point you can climb on the tree. Without using your hands. Then try to get past that mark the next time...and the next. First you'll need to run towards the tree for momentum, so you can go as high as it lets you..until you get used to it. Ready?..Go!" my brother shouts as each kunai is ripped from the ground.

"Remember what you said Sensei, I'm the one who's grown the most. I'm more than ready!" Naruto says.

Kakashi sighs softly. "Well your certainly the one who talks the most. Now get focused and do it !"

Its quiet while my teammates focus their chakra, but as they each charge towards an individual tree, Kakashi walks upwards again before sitting sideways in front of me on the branch. "If you want to work on something else, Ame, that's okay" he says. I take a moment to think while looking at my brother's crutches that rest on his lap.

"I'll watch for a bit..but there's something I think I gotta do."

Kakashi's eye takes on a curious look, but I'm too busy watching Naruto scale up a tree to further explain. He's able to take a few steps until he crashes to the ground, rolling and clutching his head in his hands.

"C'mon Naruto, I know you can do it!" I shout down to him, cupping my hand over my mouth. He sits up slowly, still rubbing his head before he looks up at me and gives me a big grin.

"You bet, believe it!"

"Hey, this is fun!" Sakura says from somewhere high. Hm..she would make a goof medic-ninja.

"Weeeell It looks like the two female members of the squad are the most advanced with chakra control. Well done." my brother says before egging Naruto and Sasuke on, using Naruto's dream to become Hokage and the reputation of Sasuke's clan. Sakura points an angry finger at my brother.

"That's enough, you talk too much, Sensei!"

"Take it easy, Sakura." I say..before I notice a familiar blue-striped bucket hat peek from around a tree, pause for a moment, and then disappears. Why is Inari watching us? I think to myself a moment before pushing myself off the the back of the tree, causing my brother to turn his head around lazily to look at me.

"Something wrong?"

"No, everything's fine. I just..have to talk to someone." Kakashi must get who I mean, because after a moment he nods understandingly. Before I climb down the tree, I help position Kakashi so that his back is leaning against the trunk and remind him not to do anything to strain himself. His only response is a hand that ruffles my hair quickly. Before I leave the branch, though, Kakashi puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry by the way for over using the Sharingan..I know it wasn't easy for you to have to lug me all the way to Tazuna's place. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I know..but its okay. If you hadn't did what you did, things could've ended differently. And trust me, I'm just fine."

* * *

When my feet touch ground again, I walk towards where I saw Inari, and from there I walk straight. Honestly, that's the only way to go in this area of the forest. As soon as I catch sight of him, I stay still, though I step on a stick to let him know I'm there. With his back facing me, he says in a shaky voice as he turns around slowly:

"Who are you, what do you want?" .

"My name's Amedoru."

He lets out a big breath. "Oh. Its only you. One of those ninja." he says in a sharp tone.

"What do you want?" he asks again, eyeing me.

"Well, I don't have to train right now..so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind showing me the ocean." For a second his guard drops completely, and the hard, bitter look in his eyes disappears. He doesn't say anything for a very long time, but I just stay right where I am and let him think. Finally, he opens his mouth, and when he speaks this time, it's very soft. Almost quiet.

"Okay."

Inari stays a couple feet away from me as we walk, never looking back, never pausing to make sure I'm following him. When we both step out of the foliage at last, sparkling blue is all I can see. The water seems to stretch forever, like the sky.

"This is it" Inari mutters, and I can't see the expression on his face because of his hat. For a moment all I can do is stare..until I part away more of the green shrubbery in front of me and walk out onto sand that is firm, yet soft at the same time. An ever-present, dull noise roars around all over, and the more steps I take, the closer I get to the small waves that ride up on shore, so I slip my shoes off and walk ankle deep into the sea water. Shikamaru would really love this...maybe I'll bring Kakashi out here, and Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke too. After the mission is complete, of course. I hear Inari take small, hesitant steps behind me, and after a while he's next to me on the shore, though he's standing far enough away that the water can't touch him. A couple seagulls coast away above us.

"This is beautiful" I mutter. "The kind of beauty that can last forever.."

Inari takes a few more steps, and soon, he's standing in the water with me. "Nothing lasts forever" he mutters darkly before peeking up at me from under the rim of his hat. "That man,the one with the funny hair..he's your da-dad, right?" This time it's my turn to be quiet a long time.

"No..he's not my dad." I say quietly before turning my head towards him. "He's my brother."

Inari's cheeks turn red. "So you don't have one either? A dad?" Is this the reason he's so sad? So lonely looking?

"I used to have one,but he died when I was very little. I don't really..remember him." The both of us stare out at the ocean, until Inari speaks again, and even though I'm not meant to hear him, I do anyways.

"I wish I couldn't remember." A small, yet pretty sea shell catches my eye, and I bend down and pluck it from the water.

"Sometimes the things we remember are painful, but maybe from that pain, we can learn something. You always want to remember the good things, though. Those are the ones you want to keep in your heart. Always. Happy memories are the kind that are very special."

"What makes them so special?" Inari asks.

"Well, they're special because they're real, and because of that, it makes them..pure in a way. And in a world like this, that kind of thing is pretty hard to come by."

* * *

It's already dark by the time Inari and I make it back to his house. As soon as the both of us walk through the door and into the kitchen where everyone is, Tsunami drops the plate she was washing and whips herself around to face us with an angry, concerned glare.

"Inari! Do you know how worried I was?! Just where were you?!" Inari can only mumble, so I step forward with a hand on the back of my neck.

"I'm really sorry. Its my fault we're late. I asked Inari to take me to see the ocean..and I guess we both just lost track of the time." Tsunami's back stiffens and her mouth drops a little. Her angry glare softens into something like relief.

"Oh..well thats okay, then." By now everyone else is staring at the both of us, and a smile begins growing on Tazuna's face. I sit down at the corner of the table, in between Sakura and Naruto, who's glaring over at Sasuke. Tsunami brings me a plate of food, mouthing a quick "thank you".

"Well this is pretty great" Tazuna says. "Its been awhile since we've had a lot of guests at our table." Naruto and Sasuke scarf down their food, each making random, grunting sounds, before they both push themselves out of their seats with their bowls raised high. "I want some more!" they both shout. Oh boy..this isn't gunna be pretty. Suddenly Naruto and Sasuke both turn a light shade of green before bending over and puking all their food onto the floor. I leap back just in time.

"Oh thats pretty nasty." I say, trying not to gag.

"Don't eat so much if you're just going to puke it up!" Sakura says angrily. Sasuke wipes his mouth.

"I have to eat." he says, and Naruto too raises his head before wiping the back of his hand over his mouth.

"And I have to eat more than him. Its the only way I'll get strong enough to beat him."

"That's true. But puking wont help you." my brother says with his arms crossed, standing away from the table. Looks like he lost his appetite. After getting the table..and all the puke cleaned up, Tsunami makes us all some tea, and as soon as it's put in front of Naruto and Sasuke they both start gulping it down.

"Your stomach will settle down faster if you drink it slower" I say, glancing between both of them. They look down at their cups before grumbling to themselves, raising their eyes again to glare at each other some more. Well ,at least they aren't drinking as fast now. Sakura gets up from the table before walking over to a picture hanging on the wall. Someone had ripped a huge chunk of it off.

"Excuse me, but this picture's torn. Is there some reason for that?" Sakura looks at Inari. "Inari kept glancing at it during dinner. It looks like there was someone else in the picture, but they got torn out. I mean thats kind of strange, isn't it?" Tsunami stops washing the dishes, and the whole room gets still. I think I know now who the person in the picture was..

"Its my husband" Tsunami says quietly before she resumes washing the dishes, though she moves slowly.

"They used to call him a hero in this land.' Tazuna says as Inari pushes himself away from the table and gets out of his chair slowly. I want to say something to him, but I can only watch.

"Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asks worriedly before chasing after Inari, pausing in the doorway. "Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that!"

"Inari's so..what happened to him?" Sakura asks, and I lean back in my chair.

"He lost someone" I can feel Kakashi looking at me before I hear his voice.

"Is there a story behind this?" Tazuna sighs.

"He wasn't his real father, he came into our family later. He brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close..in those days, Inari used to laugh all the time. But then.." Tazuna pauses as his whole body shakes, and even though he fights back tears, they come anyway. "..but then that all ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day everything changed. The word courage was stolen from this island, and we were left only with the feeling of powerlessness, hopelessness. Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day, ever since _it _happened."

"What happened?" I ask quietly.

" First, you need to know more about his father. The man who taught us the word "courage", who was a hero in this land." Naruto's eyes widen.

"A hero, really?"

"You can decide that for yourself. He came here about three years ago.."

"His name was Kaiza. A simple fisherman from another land that came here to follow his dreams. After that Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. He's never known his real father, so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him, and followed in his footsteps, like a real father and son. Kaiza spent so much time with us he naturally became a part of our family. And then, when we all needed him, he became something even more.."

"He became a hero. He taught us all the meaning of courage, and Inari was so proud to be his son...but it wasn't long after that Gato showed up, and took over. He terrorized the entire village..and Kaiza was the only one who stood up to him. Gato couldn't have a hero stand in his way. It took his whole gang to stop one man..." by the time Tazuna finishes the story, goosebumps are all over my arms and the back of my neck. I don't even know what to think.

"Since then Inari's changed...Tsunami..everyone else. We lost our will." I push myself away from the table, but I don't get up from my chair. My hands clench the edges of the table so hard my knuckles turn white. Kakashi looks at me with concern. Inari had to watch his dad..his hero be slaughtered right in front of his eyes.. I can't bring myself to even glance over at my brother.

Naruto gets up and takes a single step before he falls to the ground on his face. All that chakra he's burned up is starting to take an effect.

"What are you doing down there, Naruto?" Sakura sighs.

" You'd better take the day off. No more training. You've used up too much chakra." Kakashi says. "If you push it any harder, it can kill you."

Naruto pushes himself up on his hands and looks at us all with that fire in his eyes. "I'm gunna prove it." he says.

"Prove what?" Sakura asks.

"I'll prove that-that its true! That in this world, there _are_ real heroes."

And I just look at him and smile, because I know he can do it. This Gato guy is going down..and the people of this village will have hope again, even Inari.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"C'mon, just do it. Its not that bad" _

_"I-I don't think I can" _

_A fifteen year old Kakashi sighed in annoyance. He had mastered the art of chakra control long before he became an academy student. He was certain his six year old sister could do the same. He crossed his arms and his expression softened. When he had first explained the excercise to her, Amedoru had watched with wide, excited eyes. But when it was time for her to actually try it, she froze. Kakashi decided to try a different approach. Moving so he stood behind her, he placed both of his hands out. _

_"You can do it, Ame, just try again. If you fall, I promise I'll catch you, okay?" his sister looked behind her before turning back to the tree and nodding. Her big brother wasn't going to let anything happen to her. She brought up her hand to make the sign just like Kakashi had shown her before she placed one foot onto the tree. Closing her eyes, she slowly lifted her other foot, and when she felt her body recline without falling, her face lit up with a smile. Kakashi, with his arms still extended, watched without saying anything. His sister needed to focus. _

_When she was more than halfway up the big tree, she craned her head around until she saw Kakashi, and called down in an excited voice:_

_"Hey, I'm not falling!"_

_"You're doing it! Keep going!" Kakashi encouraged. Underneath his mask he was smiling. His sister didn't have the greatest self-confidence, but he knew that she was capable of doing anything she wanted. All she needed was someone who encouraged her every now and then. He watched as his sister continued scaling up the tree..until a reddish-brown blur flew from a higher branch and collided with Amedoru's face. With a startled "Whoa!" the chakra left her feet and she began to descend to the ground. Kakashi stood at the base of the trunk with waiting arms..although there was no need. During the fall, Amedoru somehow managed to right her body, and she dangled from a branch with one hand, a squirrel sitting atop her head with its tiny paws on either side of her face. The both of them had dazed expressions. Kakashi lowered his arms and began chuckling until it turned into a hearty laugh. _


	10. Land Of Waves Pt 4: Ocean

"Would you like some help?" I ask Tsunami as she takes a stack of plates from the counter to set the table. I guess she didn't hear me approach her from behind, because as soon as she hears my voice she jumps about a mile and spins around to face me so fast she almost drops the plates. She removes her hand from her neck and smiles.

" I would.. thank you."

She hands me the stack of plates and I begin moving clockwise around the table, leaving a cleared spot on purpose. Kakashi doesn't usually eat in front of people because of his mask. When we eat at home he doesn't mind if I'm around, though I always look somewhere else until his mask is secured back on his face. Even though he's my brother, and I don't think he minds if I look, I can't help but feel that I would be invading his privacy or something. When we go out to eat, we try and snag a spot that isn't around a lot of people, and if we find one Kakashi will remove his mask, eat, and then re-mask himself so fast no one gets a chance to see his face.

When the last dish is placed on the table, Tazuna walks in with Inari right behind him. Tsunami walks over and kisses Tazuna on the cheek, earning a big smile from him. When she bends down to kiss Inari, he only looks down at his plate. Sasuke and Kakashi walk in not too long after, and when they do it feels like the rings around my eyes are even more prominent from when I last looked at them. Every time I tried to go to sleep last night, I couldn't help the graphic images that came to mind. I don't know whats worse, nightmares about a voice, or ones from Tazuna's story about Kaiza from yesterday.

"Good morning, everyone" Sakura yawns as she takes a seat. Hm..Naruto isn't here. Looks like he pulled an all-nighter in the forest. I pull up a chair beside Sasuke, and my brother looks me over curiously. In response, I give him a quick smile before bringing food up to my mouth.

"So, Naruto's not here?" Tazuna asks, disrupting the steady, even sound of Kakashi's fingers scraping against the metal covering on his glove. "Looks like he was out all night again."

"He's gone completely crazy, climbing trees in the dark." Sakura says. "He could be dead right now, ya know, from using up too much chakra."

"Well I certainly hope he's okay. A child spending the night in the woods alone..." Tsunami says. My brother speaks up from his place against the wall.

"There's nothing to worry about. Naruto's a goofy kid, but he's also a full-fledged ninja. He can handle himself."

"Sakura's right." Sasuke says in a somewhat annoyed voice " Naruto's such a loser..he's probably lying there dead somewhere."

"What's with all the negative thinking? Naruto's fine..he's just out there working hard." At my words Sasuke gets up from the table and heads for the door.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asks.

"I'm going for a walk."

"But we just started eating!"

"Well that was fast" Sakura mutters as Sasuke slips out the door, most likely going to look for Naruto.

* * *

My brother comes to a stop with Sakura and I following. I take a few steps forward and cup a hand over my mouth.

"Naruto! Sasuke!" Their names bounce around off the trees, but neither one of them make an appearance. Hmmm..I think to myself before bringing my hand up to my mouth again. "Naruto! I think I saw a ramen shop nearby!"

All of a sudden a familiar whooshing sound makes my ears tingle, and a shuriken embeds itself in the ground by Sakura's feet followed by an excited gasp from somewhere up above.

"Well I wonder where that came from..." I say, a smile growing on my face. The three of us look up into the trees, immediately spotting Naruto lying on his stomach on one of the branches with a big, lopsided grin on his face.

"Woah.." Sakura breaths. "Naruto can climb that high now using his chakra? That's great!" Kakashi makes an amused humming sound. Naruto looks down at us with that big grin still on his face, chuckling.

" Whattya think, high enough for you guys? I mean its a long way down, huh?" Suddenly he stands up "Now, what were you saying about ramen?" he asks..before he begins to loose his balance and his foot slides off the branch like I've done so many times before. Sakura's breath catches in her throat.

"Naruto!"

"Uh oh" Kakashi says as I run over to the base of the tree and crane my head upwards to see a head of spiky yellow hair and a face that grins down at me.

"Ha! just kidding! You guys totally fell for it!" Naruto erupts into cackling laughter, and I wipe some sweat from my forehead.

"We were worried about you!" Sakura yells up to him.

"Why do I think this is going to end badly.." I hear Kakashi say under his breath. Naruto's body begins swaying to the side, and his feet unhitch from the branch with a loud suction noise. My arms immediately stick out before rapid footsteps race up a nearby trunk and Naruto comes to a jerky stop in midair. Sasuke's on the underside of the branch, with a hand around Naruto's ankle. Good grief..

"You really are a loser, Naruto" he says as Sakura cheers him on in the background.

"If I'm still sane by the time I finish their training, it'll be a miracle."

"Who says you'll be sane regardless?" I wink at my brother as he rolls his eye.

"Alright you two, come on down!" he calls up to Naruto and Sasuke, but the both of them are too busy arguing to hear. Naruto starts writhing and twisting, yelling all the while, making Sasuke's eyes go wide. "Hey, cut it out!" he shouts before he loses his grip and the both of them come flying downwards towards me. I stick my arms out again before I brace myself, taking one large gulp. Something slams into my waiting arms, making me stagger a bit on my feet before the breath is completely knocked out of me and I fall flat on my back with my legs following like an afterthought. I open my eyes. Naruto's lying on his stomach across me, rubbing his head and moaning while Sasuke lies across Naruto's back with an extremely irritated expression on his face. Sakura and Kakashi rush over to us.

"Naruto, you idiot! You could've seriously injured Sasuke!" Small dots dance around her head. Kakashi's face appears over mine and the expression in his un-covered eye is one of both concern and humor.

"Amedoru?" I blink to let him know I'm concious, though the heavy weight of both my teammates is prohibiting me from breathing. Sakura gasps.

"She's turning blue!" Naruto's head perks up before he shakes it a few times to the side. Sasuke leaps to his feet.

"You're crushing her, moron." Naruto's eyes get huge before he scrambles to his feet, and the pressure on my abdomen fades away. I start to sit up before two pairs of hands grip my arms and hoist me up to my feet slowly. Naruto moves from beside me so that we're face to face. He leans forward and looks me in the eyes intently before waving a hand in front of them.

"Amedoru! Can you see me?"

"Oh yeah, I see ya."

"I'm really sorry" he says, rubbing the back of his neck, and I punch him softly on the shoulder. My back makes several loud popping sounds, and everyone looks at me with slightly sickened expressions.

"Hey don't worry about it, at least now my back is loose again."

* * *

"They're late again" Sakura sighs.

After our little "pile-up" in the forest, Kakashi told Naruto and Sasuke that their chakra control still needed work, though the both of them have improved. The sun went down a few hours ago, but they still haven't walked through the doors yet.

"I wouldn't have expected that from Sasuke" she says again, and my ears pick up on footsteps.

"They're just outside the-" I start before the door slides open, and Sasuke steps inside, with Naruto's arm slung over his shoulder, supporting him.

"Well what did the two of you do out there? You look like something the cat dragged in" Tazuna says. Naruto's head lifts with a small smirk.

"We both made it. We climbed all the way to the top." Kakashi nods approvingly.

"Good. Now we move on. Starting tomorrow, you're both bodyguards for Tazuna." Naruto's smirk turns into a smile and his eyes get wide.

"Alright!" he says before he throws a hand into the air, causing he and Sasuke to fall to the ground on their behinds.

"Ah! You're such a loser!" Sasuke grumbles, and we all laugh.

"A few more days..and he bridge will be finished" Tazuna says. "I have you to thank for that."

"You've all done great, but you've got to be careful" Tsunami replies. Tazuna looks up from his plate

"I've been meaning to ask you this, but I haven't had the chance to until now. Why did you stay and protect me even after you found out that I lied to bring you here?"

"We couldn't just leave you, or the people here to face Gato alone..that's just who we are." I say, and Kakashi nods before he brings his hands up and folds them.

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive." I bite on my thumbnail as I think about what he just said.

"Huh?" Tsunami asks after a moment.

"That was a quote, from the first Hokage." The room is silent before Inari starts trembling, tears splashing onto the table.

"But why?" he asks in a shaky voice. Naruto opens his eyes and lifts his head from his arms.

"Hm? Whatcha say?" Inari slams his hands onto the table and pushes himself up from his chair

"All your stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army! They'll just beat you down and destroy you! These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong ones will always win, and the weak will always lose!"

"Just speak for yourself." Naruto grumbles " It won't be like that for me, got that?"

"Why don't you be quiet! Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what its like to suffer and be treated like dirt!" Naruto stiffens, and I bring my hand down from my mouth, looking in his direction. If only Inari knew..

"Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim. You can whimper all day, for all I care. You're nothin' but a coward!" Inari recoils and Sakura turns on Naruto angrily.

"Naruto! You went too far!" Naruto grumbles before he stands up and walks away. Inari sits back down slowly before he starts crying again, making shuddery, gasping noises. Tazuna and Tsunami give him looks full of pity and hopelessness, and I can't stand it. When neither of them make a move towards Inari, I get up from my chair and walk around the table before kneeling beside him.

"Be strong, Inari" I whisper, and he looks to the side at me quickly before doing something so unexpected it makes my body stiffen at first. He leans over and presses his face against my shoulder, and his tears soak through my shirt quickly before making contact with my skin. I wrap an arm around his shoulders and just let him cry, catching my brother's eye as he stares at us with a tender look.

* * *

"Alright, I leave Naruto in your hands. As usual, he over did it last night, so he might not be able to move at all today." Kakashi says. Tsunami eyes him worriedly.

"But what about you? You're still recovering." Kakashi laughs

"Why do I look wobbly? I'll be okay."

"C'mon, lets go" Tazuna says before hoists the bag on his shoulder a little higher and turns around. All of us, minus Naruto, follow him. Kakashi falls behind a little so he can join me at the back of the group.

"I talked to Inari last night after dinner." I turn to look at him.

"Really? ..how was he?" Kakashi sighs.

"He was..sad, but I think he'll get better." Hm..I wonder what Kakashi said to him. "What you did for him last night, and the other day.. it was a kind thing." he says before his hand plops down onto my head softly. Did Inari tell Kakashi about our talk by the ocean? I look up at him and smile before the three in front of us come to a complete halt. The toe of my shoe almost scrapes against Sakura's calf.

"What-what is this?" Tazuna gasps, and Kakashi's hand leaves my head in a flash. We've made it to the bridge..but there are several workers lying scattered on it. Their tools are all over the place. "What happened?" Tazuna asks, shock in his voice. "Someone was here, someone got to them!"

I survey the bridge, my eyes finding the water when a familiar cloud of thick mist rolls in.

"This mist.." Kakashi mutters before he whips out a kunai. "Sasuke, Amedoru, Sakura, get ready." he says as we all form a protective ring around Tazuna.

"He's here." I say, my hand inching towards the side for my pouch.

"I knew it was him..he just couldn't wait for round two" Kakashi says.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Kakashi. Looks like you still got those brats with you..thats alright. I have a score to settle with one in particular anyway.." Zabuza's voice cuts through the mist, and Kakashi makes a strange, low grumbling noise.

"Looks like that one is still trembling..pitiful" I glance over at Sasuke, and sure enough, the kunai shakes lightly in his hand. He snorts.

"I'm trembling..with excitement." Clones surround us, the one in front of me snickering darkly, before my brother looks over his shoulder.

"Go ahead, Sasuke." In a few blinks all the clones are destroyed, and Zabuza's voice calls out again.

"So you could see they were clones, eh? Brat's improving." The fog lightens some, and its enough to see Zabuza and the tracker from before clearly. Sasuke, Sakura, and I go into defensive stances while Kakashi stays relaxed with his hands in his pockets.

"Well, well..so I had it right. It was all an act." he says. "An act in a cute little mask."

"Big phony" Sasuke snorts.

"So I guess all that about being a tracker ninja to protect your village was just a bunch of bull." Tazuna says.

"Looked pretty chummy to me. Looks like they've been pulling scams like this for a long time." Kakashi says, and I let out a "hmph" in agreement before Sakura says in an angry voice,

"He's got some nerve facing us after pulling a stunt like that!"

"And hiding behind a mask, who does he think he's fooling?"

"Whoever it is, they aren't from the leaf" I say, eyeing the tracker.

"Thats it. I'm taking him out" Sasuke says calmly, making Sakura gasp. "Who does he think he's fooling, hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown."

"Oh Sasuke, you're so cool" Sakura gushes, and while my brother sags forward with a sigh, I bring a hand up to smack against my face. Way to paraphrase my brother, Sasuke. Zabuza and the tracker remain standing, so I assume they're talking about something, plotting, when the tracker literally begins dancing his way over to us. His footsteps move slowly, rhythmically in a circular motion before they get faster. So fast, that the tracker becomes a spinning cyclone, heading straight for Sasuke. Should I intercept it? I glance over at Sasuke's concentrated face. No, he's ready for it. By the time I finish thinking, he and the tracker are face-to-face , with a kunai, and some other kind of knife in between them.

"Sakura, guard Tazuna, let Sasuke handle it." Kakashi says before speaking to me in a low voice "Stay close to me. Zabuza'll most likely go for you first before he'll go for me."

"I'm ready...that doesn't look good." I say as the tracker begins forming rapid hand signs with a single hand. I've never seen someone do that before..

"Sasuke!" Sakura gasps as an almost invisible water dome surrounds the both of them. Tiny spindles of what look to be ice hover in midair before they all shoot downwards. Just when they're inches away from Sasuke, a cloud of smoke poofs out of nowhere, and the tracker skids backwards. Sasuke appears suddenly, throwing shuriken at the trackers feet. When he stops, Sasuke appears behind him with a smirk on his face.

"You're not as fast as you thought. From now on, you'll be defending yourself against me." he says before he lands a hard kick to the trackers stomach when he disappears from behind and reappears from the front. The tracker slides across the bridge and comes to a stop at Zabuza's feet.

"You made a mistake insulting these ninja and calling them brats" Kakashi says. "That's just guaranteed to bring out Sasuke's attitude. He's the best young fighter of the hidden leaf village." Something gives a small jerk in my stomach at the tone of his voice, he way he says it. I'm nothing like Sasuke, and I never will be, but I hope that one day I can make my brother proud of me regardless.

"And Sakura here is our sharpest mind." he continues, making Sakura blush a deep red. Kakashi looks at me.

"My sister, Amedoru.. well she's one who will amaze you no matter what the circumstance." Did he really mean that?

"And last but not least, our number one hyperactive knuckle-headed ninja is Naruto Uzumaki." Zabuza starts chuckling.

"Haku, if we keep going on like this we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it!" he bites. Haku is up in an instant, a dark, inky blue visible aura around him.

'Right" he says, and I notice how the inky blue begins to branch out and lighten in color.

"What is that?" Sasuke asks.

"I think it might be his chakra.."

"I'm sorry it has to come to this" Haku says before his fingers intertwine, and ice shoots up from the ground around Sasuke..they look like-

"Secret Jutsu!Crystal Ice Mirrors!" Haku yells before he walks toward one of the mirrors and literally steps inside it. From the way my brother is looking at it,I can tell he's never seen anything like this before. That's not a good sign. Kakashi takes off towards them before Zabuza intercepts him halfway. I push myself off the ground after him, whipping out a kunai.

"If you enter this fight, you'll fight me" he says. "Your boy's got no chance against Haku in there. He's finished." I step closer to Kakashi, and Zabuza turns his head over to me. "But, I did say I'd give _you_ another go, didn't I-"

Before he can utter another word, Sakura charges towards the ice mirrors, flinging a kunai knife at Haku. His arm reaches from out of one of the mirrors before he catches it. Zabuza turns his attention back to me before several shuriken slice through the air, and from the groans coming from the ice mirrors, I can tell all of them hit Haku dead on.

"Hm?" Zabuza hums, and I nod over towards the large cloud of smoke. "That would be out number one, hyperactive, knuckle-headed ninja-"

"Naruto Uzumaki is here! Believe it! And now that I'm here, everything will be aaalright."

"Naruto!" Sakura yells, though for once..she's actually happy to see him.

"You know in stories how the hero always shows up at the last minute and kicks butt? Well that's just what I'm gunna do right now, believe it!"

Zabuza gives a loud groan "Ugh. Not this brat again.."

Naruto pays him no mind, instead he focuses all his attention on Haku. "Alright, you're history..Shadow Clone Jutsu!." he yells, not noticing the shuriken Zabuza flings at him.

"Naruto move!"

"Naruto, look out!" Kakashi and I yell towards him, but the shuriken don't even reach Naruto all the way thanks to several senbon Haku flings out, intercepting them. Now that was real close..

"This is a battle, not a talent show. Don't let your opponent see your jutsu!' Kakashi reprimands as Naruto's face falls. "A shinobi's art is deception; always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a single justu, one must distract your opponents attention so you can catch them off-balance, and out maneuver them. You just turn yourself into a human target when you enter a battle like that!" My brother has a point, but at least Naruto showed up.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!" he shouts.

"Haku, what are you doing?!" Zabuza demands, and I know I should attack him while his guards down..but I'm rooted to the spot. Why did Haku save Naruto?

"Zabuza" Haku says. "This boy..let me fight him myself, in my own way. Please."

"So..you want me to leave this to you, huh, Haku? Your too soft..as usual." Zabuza scoffs. I'm starting to get tired of standing in the same spot. If I'm going to make a move, its gotta be done soon, while Zabuza still has his guard down. Kakashi tries to take a step towards Naruto and Haku, but Zabuza shifts in front of him.

"Ah, ah, Kakashi. You know the score. If you interfere, I'll go after the bridge-builder..as soon I take care of this one." Zabuza says, eyeing me. "Relax..lets see how they do..one on one" he says again, and I shift my eyes over to Naruto and Haku. Haku's speed worries me..but I have faith in Naruto. He'll come through. He and Haku talk for a moment before Haku slips back into the ice mirrors after Sasuke throws a kunai at him.

"Naruto, Sasuke, think! You'll want to attack from both the outside and the inside!" Kakashi instructs. Realization dawns on Naruto's face..before he sneaks into a spot between the ice mirrors. Oh man.. A big ball of flame ignites inside the ice prison. That's gotta be Sasuke's fireball jutsu. It dies down quickly..and the ice mirrors are still standing, not so much as a drop of water running down the sides. Naruto's shadow clones don't do any damage either.

"I knew it!" Kakashi gasps.

"What? What is it?" I ask

"It's a bloodline trait, a kekae genkai." When he sees the look on mine and Sakura's face, he elaborates.

"It's like my Sharingan-you can't learn it. It has to be in your blood, in your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation within a single clan." That means for now, we're sitting ducks. My brother can't copy the jutsu, so he can't destroy it. That means its up to Naruto and Sasuke to try and break free from the inside. The silence is interrupted by Haku's voice as it bounces off the ice mirrors:

"..I fight for someone who is precious to me..I face death for him in the hope that one day his dream will become reality.." There's no denying how deep Haku's care..his love for Zabuza runs. Does he really know how much he means to one person? I think as I look over at him.

"Sasuke! Naruto! Take the guy out, you can do it!" Sakura shouts.

"Don't, Sakura" Kakashi says. "Don't push if they found a way to overcome the mirror justu somehow, they'd be no match against this ninja."

"How can you be so sure?!"

"They have the desire to win..but not the instinct to kill. This boy is a whole other breed. He lives for pain..thrives on it. "

"Exactly." Zabuza spits out. "Your village has become complacent. Your trainees never learned the most important lesson of all-to kill all the feelings in their hearts so they can kill mercilessly, destroy with no emotional regret."

"So what do we do, Sensei? Please tell us" Sakura says. Just what are we going to do? I have the feeling Zabuza's starting to get impatient. Kakashi's hand goes to lift his headband, and Zabuza chuckles.

"The Sharingan..you're no fun, Kakashi, using the same old trick..over, and over." Zabuza whips something out of his pocket before rushing towards us..and before I know it, I'm standing in front of my brother with a knife stuck deep in my arm that's held out in front of me, and my kunai knife embedded in Zabuza's side in return. Blood pools upwards before running in rivulets downwards, staining the bandages wrapped around my arm before dripping to the ground.

"Ame.." Kakashi says in a whisper, and I grit my teeth to help me forget the pain. Zabuza hums in amusement, his grey eyes widening.

"You said you had a score to settle with me first." I say, and Zabuza laughs, deep and gravely.

"Ah.. she's a brave one, Kakashi." he says before yanking his knife out of my arm and jumping backwards. He rips my kunai from his side and throws it at my feet. I clamp a hand over the wound on my arm and try not to think about how the blood's pooling up between my fingers. Kakashi grips my shoulder and pulls me back beside him, looking down at me anxiously.

"Amedoru..that was reckless of you!" I stare at the ground.

"I'm sorry"

Kakashi sighs and asks in a softer tone: "Will you be alright?"

I bring my hand down from my arm before flexing it, wincing a little at the sharp jolt of pain that Kakashi's feeling too. I nod my head firmly before picking up my kunai from the ground. "Yeah,I'll be just fine."

Zabuza begins telling us all about Haku's unique abilities, and how he was turned into a killing machine by Zabuza. "You really think your little Genin are a match for Haku?" Zabuza asks. "He's the ultimate shinobi!"

"Are you finished bragging yet? Your starting to put me to sleep" Kakashi says, and I laugh mentally. "Lets finish this..now!"

"Fine..but first, there's something you should know, a little more..bragging as you say" Zabuza says before re-pocketing his knife. When he tells Kakashi that Haku had been observing every move he made during their last battle, Kakashi's head snaps back a little. Zabuza's hand lifts to form a familiar sign, and everything's covered by mist again . I take a few steps to the side before I'm back to back against my brother, all the while looking down at my arm. He'd be able to find us regardless, even without my blood..but..

"Kakashi" I say in a whisper. "We can find Zabuza by blood, by scent."

"Your right. We should wait him out just a little longer.."

"You'll let me fight him with you, right?" he sighs softly.

"Your a shinobi now..and you've done well against him so far..just be careful."

"Right..something's coming!" I say, the familiar high-pitched whistling sounds getting nearer by the second. Kakashi takes out a kunai and block all the shuriken thrown at him.

"Ah, very skilled. But I wouldn't have expected anything less from Kakashi, the Sharingan Warrior." Zabuza says..from right in front of me. Kakashi gives a small gasp before we break position so that we're side by side.

"His eyes are closed .." Kakashi says. Is it even possible for someone to fight the Sharingan blind?

"The last time you see me will be the last time you see anything" Zabuza says. "Without your Sharingan, you're _nothing." _

"Be quiet" I snap before Zabuza disappears again.

"Someone's a little eager, I see.." he chuckles. "You wanted me to believe that you could see into the future, Kakashi. But your prediction was wrong, I'm still here. That Sharingan of yours is just a cheap trick that makes you seem more powerful than you are. I know now your Sharingan has two separate elements. The piercing eye, which sees _every _detail, and the hypnotic eye, which mesmerizes your opponent. Employing these abilities you can execute multiple jutsu in quick succession, to make it seem like you could see the future.."

The more Zabuza talks, the more I try to find his position. Even though his voice sounds near, he could be a good distance away from us.

"..first, neutralize your piercing eye by reducing your vision to zero. Then, by keeping my eyes closed, you can bore into them with that hypnotic eye of yours." Without a warning something slams into Kakashi's middle, making him slide back a few feet. My hand goes to the scroll attached to my hip next to my pouch. I think I know what to do, I just don't know when. Why hasn't Kakashi come back yet? This mist keeps getting thicker by the second..I shake my head to clear it. You have to focus, I tell myself. Zabuza's a master of the Silent Killing Technique. If I let my guard down, I'm finished. My eyes were rendered useless as soon as he pulled this mist jutsu, and my ears are probably shot too. I close my eyes and try to sniff him out..but if he's still bleeding, he wouldn't have been able to land that blow to Kakashi. He would have smelled him..and I would have too. A rock collides with my jaw and sends me flying backwards, and I come to a sliding stop.

"Consider that your first taste of payback.."

I try and get myself back on my feet as quick as I can, but Zabuza's quicker. The vague outline of his sword appears in front me before it swings down, and the only way I avoid it is by rolling over to the side quickly. He swings the sword down again and I roll over to the other side before pushing myself up on my hands and roll forward through his legs, throwing a kunai towards his neck. It misses his vital spot, but implants itself into his muscle. He turns around slowly. So this isn't a water clone, its the real Zabuza- Sakura lets out a horrifying, blood-curdling scream.

"Aah!" I yell as I bend over, gripping my chest before turning towards the direction of the scream. Kakashi.. Zabuza laughs darkly behind me.

"Big brother's in trouble..and what can you do about it? Absolutely nothing."

"I can do this.." I whisper, before bringing my hands up in front of me. Transformation Justu! Hidden Mist Style! I think before I blend myself into the mist.

"She's vanished." Zabuza says before grabbing the hilt of his sword. This is it..now! I think before releasing the jutsu and pivot on one foot behind him, kicking Zabuza as hard as I can on his back. He flies onto his stomach and growls before he gets up swiftly...vanishing. Darn it. My hand clutches at my abdomen. I gotta find my brother.I try and find him by scent, but it's too confusing since both of us are bleeding. So I just do the only thing I can think of. I let my gut lead me.

"..come on, Kakashi, I want this to be fun." I reactivate my transformation jutsu and creep up behind Zabuza as quietly as I can.

"Take a hike" I say as I slide in front of him, my voice coming out in a low, guttural growl.

"Persistent little brat...well don't you worry, Kakashi, you can weep out an apology to your brats when you see them in the next life..." Zabuza says before he re-sheathes his sword and fades away into the mist. I look at the long, red line running down Kakashi's abdomen, feeling a whine wanting to form in the back of my throat. Zabuza appears at a distance in front of us. Kakashi starts breathing heavily, though whether its from the pain, or from anger..I don't know.

"I have faith in Sasuke" Sakura says, thinking aloud, and I nod.

"Naruto too."

"That's right." Kakashi says. "I..I believe in their abilities. I have faith in them. Naruto..the number one, hyperactive, knuckle-head ninja. And Sasuke, heir to the most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"You mean.." Zabuza says, and through his voice I can tell how wide his eyes are.

"Yes. His full name is Sasuke Uchiha. The unique powers of the Uchiha bloodline run through his veins. The Kekae Genkai is his birthright. "

"I had heard that one young ninja had survived the massacre..no wonder he advances so quickly. But so does Haku. No one can beat him" Zabuza reaches for his sword again, and I tense up next to my brother, who pulls out a kunai. "No one can beat his secret jutsu, even the best Jounin fall before him, just like you will fall before me!" Zabuza continues before he disappears again.

"Sakura, stay with Tazuna" Kakashi says before taking off, and I chase after him, trying my best to ignore the bursts of pain with every footfall. Zabuza's my opponent too, and it's about time things get settled for good. I stop mid-step. There's so much energy in the air..what is it? Something rings loud and clear inside me, and I collapse to one knee. Kakashi looks around worriedly. There's so much anger..and hate. Where's it all coming from? Searing, white-hot pain rips through my head, and I fall to my other knee and press my face to the ground, clutching my head with both hands, groaning. What's happening? The pain passes as quick as it comes, and something fills me up inside, and drives me to my feet again. I remember the angry, slanted red line across my brother's chest, Sakura's frightened face, and Naruto and Sasuke's pain-filled cries. And that's all I need to steady my balance as I take off again. I think I actually might be..speeding up somehow. I pass Kakashi, and notice that he's got his earth summoning scroll planted in the ground.

"Whats the use if you can't even find me?" Zabuza asks, and even though I still can't see him, I know exactly where he is. I use my last footstep to spring myself forward, and before I know it, I collide with Zabuza's body, sending us both sailing on the wind a moment before we crash to the ground. Kakashi calls for me: "Amedoru!" My fists beat against the sides of Zabuza's face, snapping his head to the side. His eyes wide open. I just feel..so _angry. _A deep grumbling noise makes the bridge quake, and several blurry forms leap up out of the solid concrete before they latch themselves onto Zabuza. A few of them tug on my pants and shirt sleeve, and I turn my head to the side and see its only Kakashi's..and mines, I suppose..ninja hounds.

"Let us handle it from here, kid" Pakuun says as he, Akino, and Biscuit look me over. Akino growls deeply before sinking his teeth into a huge chunk of Zabuza's leg, making a small spray of blood fly onto my chin. I lean back and sigh..whatever was in me before..the anger..its gone now.

"Thanks guys."

I make my way back towards Kakashi, who stands up and walks towards me swiftly, grabbing both my shoulders.

"Amedoru, are you alright?" he asks, eyeing the blood droplets on my chin...but from the look in his eye, I can tell thats not all he's asking about. I stare at the cut running down his chest.

"Mhm. What about you? Will you be okay?" He laughs shortly.

"Of course." then we both turn our attention back to Zabuza, who has a ninja hound practically on all his available body parts.

"Amedoru and I both knew that since we couldn't see you, we would have to find you by scent. When you attacked me, I _let _you get past my guard-I wanted you to cut me. You see, its mine and Ame's blood on your blade that led them to you. Surprised? You disappoint me, Zabuza..falling right into our trap like that." Kakashi says before resting a hand on my shoulder. "Ah..the mist is finally clearing. And you know what I see? Your death." he continues.

"All this talking..do you mean to talk me to death?!"

"In a way, yes. One word from me, and my ninja hounds will tear you apart. I'm quite surprised they haven't taken you down already. They're all very fond of Amedoru.." They all growl deeply. "Poor Zabuza..see where your ambitions got you? You were always pushing things too far..it was after the failed assassination of the Misukage that you had to flee your village with what few followers you had, becoming a rouge ninja. And now you want to go back and try it again..but for that you need money, so you became the hired thug of a swine like Gato. All right, enough talk. Its time to finish this, but it won't be with Sharingan. No..its time I introduce you to my own jutsu" My eyes widen. I haven't seen this happen in a long time. I take several steps backwards, leaving Zabuza to my brother. The familiar, beautiful..powerful ball of electric chakra forms right in my brothers palm, lightning branching out all around it.

"Lightning Blade.." I whisper.

"I wont allow you to kill Tazuna. He's a brave man, with a noble dream. The bridge he's building is the hope of this land and all its people. You're like a disease..by attacking one, you infect all..and you don't even care. That is not the way of the shinobi."

"You're right. I don't care!" Zabuza says. "All these petty little people with their pathetic dreams. Why should I care? I have a dream of my own."

"But to have a dream, you need a future" Kakashi says before he takes off towards Zabuza. "And this is for laying hands on my sister!" he yells as he nears Zabuza, but a wall of ice shoots up from the ground, and with an almighty yell Kakashi rams his lightning blade through it, destroying it..drawing blood. I can feel my jaw drop. Haku stands in front of Zabuza with wide eyes before she grips my brothers wrist tightly. If Haku's here..then what happened to Naruto and Sasuke?

"Za..bu..za" he croaks out, and he starts chuckling.

"Your sick!" I shout at him.

'The boy threw himself in front of my attack..he saved your worthless life" Kakashi says as blood pools at his feet. Zabuza reaches for his sword.

"Well done, Haku. I knew I found a treasure when I found you boy. Not only have you given me my life, you've given me Kakashi's as well!" He says as he brings the sword down. I race over to push both my brother and Haku out of the way when Kakashi gathers Haku in his arms and flips backwards, avoiding Zabuza's blow.

"Not too bad for having a corpse in your arms" he says, not so much as even looking at Haku. I wondered before if Zabuza was capable of understanding how much he meant to one person..and now I see that he never will.

"You'll pay for that!' a voice near me shouts, and I look over.

"Naruto!"

"Naruto, stay out of this!" Kakashi says. If Naruto's here..then where's Sasuke? Kakashi lays Haku on the ground gently before closing his eyes, snapping his head up to glare at Zabuza. "This is my fight. Zabuza's _mine." _I walk over to Naruto, and he helps steady me before looking me over.

"Amedoru, look at you! Are you alright?"

"A little banged up, but I'm fine. Where's-'

"Naruto!" Sakura calls. "So you and Sasuke are alright? Where is he anyway?" I look around expecting Sasuke to be standing somewhere with his arms folded and a smirk on his face..but he's nowhere to be found. Naruto turns his face away as it scrunches up, and his whole body starts shaking.

"Oh no.." I say. Sakura's face goes completely slack. Zabuza charges towards Kakashi with his sword,but my brother uses his hands to propel his body to the side to deliver a kick to his gut. Sakura and Tazuna race past us, hand in hand, and I put a hand on Naruto's shoulder as I race past him to follow behind. When I'm near enough to see the outline of Sasuke's body, I slow to a jog before sprinting ahead again, coming to a stop next to Sakura.

I stop breathing as I crouch down, Sakura following across from me. She cradles the side of his face with her hand, and I'm too scared to look and see what her face is like. "This isn't another one of his gen-jutsu tricks, is it?" she asks. I reach out slowly and lightly touch his hand with my fingertips before I grasp it firmly. He's cold to the touch..

"You don't have to be brave on my account, girls. Go ahead, let your feelings out." Tazuna says, and I dip my head low, though no tears come yet.

"I was the best" Sakura begins. " Aced every test at the academy..perfect student. Did you know there are more than one hundred principles of shinobi conduct? I memorized every single one. I used to love it when they tested us on them, because it gave me the chance to show how smart I was. I remember so clearly this one exam. They asked us to explain the twenty-fifth principle. I got it right of course-

"A shinobi must never show his feelings, no matter what the circumstances, because they cloud his judgement and weaken his sense of duty.' I finish for her as a few tears drip onto the bridge near Sasuke despite my words. Sakura begins sobbing before she buries her face on top of Sasuke, his name coming out in choked sobs. I reach over and wrap my arms around her with one hand in her hair, my face pressed into her back, shaking with her as she sobs. After a while I lift my head at the sound of an unfamiliar voice before pulling away from Sakura, eyeing the large crowd of people.

"Sakura, look."

A short man walks from the front of the crowd before coming to a stop in front of Haku. He says something before his little leg lands a hard kick to Haku's side. Naruto yells angrily:

"GET AWAY!"

Before he charges. Thank goodness Kakashi's there to grab him around the middle, stopping him. I look down at Sasuke, feeling something heavy in my chest before I give his hand a final, hard squeeze before standing up, putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder. She nods up at me with understanding, and I close my eyes and dip my head, offering a quick moment of silence for Sasuke. I just wish that we could've had more time to become closer..friends, I think, but I've always considered you one, Sasuke. Even if you never knew it. I rush over and stand in between Zabuza and Naruto, hearing the faint sound of blood that's still dripping, albeit more slowly, from the wound in my arm.

"Well what about you, Zabuza? You just gunna let him do that to Haku?!" Naruto asks.

"Be quiet, you fool. Haku's dead. Whats's it matter?"

"What's it matter? He didn't even hesitate to throw himself in front of you to save your life! Are you so blind you can't see how much you meant to him? How much he loved you?!" I yell at him. Zabuza glances to the side at me.

"You don't understand the way of shinobi. I merely used him, just like Gato used me. Now its over, his usefulness is at an end. The loss of his strength and skill, yes, that means something to me. But the boy..nothing."

"If you mean that, you're an even bigger rat than I thought." Naruto says with clenched fists.

"You're the one that doesn't understand.." I say. "Haku said that he lived to serve you, so that you could your stupid dreams could become reality! He gave his life for a sick, blind fool like you.."

"Okay, that's enough" Kakashi says before grabbing Naruto's shoulder and giving me a look. "Calm down, the both of you. He's not the enemy..at least not right now." Naruto rips himself from Kakashi's grip with a yell.

" Shut up!As far as I'm concerned he's enemy number one!" he yells, pointing a finger at Zabuza. "Why you..you ungrateful..after everything he did for you" Naruto huffs. "Haku lived for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you? Nothing at all?!" Naruto yells.

"Your heart must really be empty if you can't even feel a thing!" I say. " Why is it so hard for you to see?!"

"Well he was sacrificing everything for you, and you never felt anything at all for him?!" Naruto says. "And if I become stronger does that mean I'll become as cold-hearted as you are?! He threw his life away, and for what? For you and your dream? You never let him have a dream of his own..but he didn't care. And you just toss him aside..like he was nothing!" I look over at Naruto, at his tear stained face, and I feel that odd something inside me, stirring.

"A broken tool..man, thats so wrong..so _wrong.__" _Naruto says, and I cast my eyes over to Haku.

"You talk too much.." I look down at the tear stains at Zabuza's feet. "Your words cut deep..the both of you. Deeper than any blade. While he fought you..his heart was breaking in two. You see, Haku was always too soft, and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow, and now curse him..I feel them too! And something else..I feel content that this is the way it ends." he says before twisting his head to the side, and it isn't until the loud rips that cut through the air that I realize what he's doing.

"Whats the matter? Cat got your tongue? Are you really that surprised to see that I'm human too?" Zabuza asks Gato. " All shinobi are, no matter how hard we try to escape that simple fact, we always fail. Well at least..I have failed." He looks at me to the side. "Little one! Come here.." I can feel Kakashi's and Naruto's anxious looks, but I walk forward until I'm right next to Zabuza.

"Give me your kunai." I take the one still attached to my side and toss it up to him. He catches it firmly between his sharp teeth before he charges forward towards Gato so fast my hair whips around for a second. Gato turns on his heel and tries to get away, all the while shouting at the crowd of men behind him. As Zabuza nears, they all raise their weapons. Most of them have no effect. Zabuza just slices his way with the kunai in his mouth through the crowd, maneuvering himself so..gracefully its almost beautiful. I take a step forward when one of the men plunges a spear into Zabuza's back. This is the man who almost killed my brother and teammates..Sasuke's already..dead. Why do I feel like I need to help him? The crowd parts enough for me to see Zabuza plunge my kunai into Gato..before several men stab him through the back with what look to be pipes and wooden poles. A brief moment of silence passes when something falls off the bridge and makes a loud splash, and several men in the crowd gasp before they all part to form a walkway for Zabuza to pass through. He begins making his way towards Haku slowly until his body lurches and the kunai clatters to the ground. Zabuza falls to his knees..and it's like he's staring at something we can't see, before he mumbles and collapses fully on the ground.

"Don't look away" my brother says. "When you live like a warrior, this is how it ends."

"Does it end like this always?" I ask, and he gives a soft sigh.

"Yeah"

"Naruto! Amedoru! Look, it's Sasuke!" Sakura shouts, and I spin around on my heel. Sure enough, Sasuke's standing there on wobbly legs..looking like a porcupine. He looks off to the side before raising his hand above him. Naruto and I look at each other before a big grin grows on both our faces.

'But how?" Naruto asks before he looks back at Haku..and I remember what Zabuza had said about Haku being too soft, sweet. How his heart was breaking in two when he was fighting Naruto and Sasuke.

"Well, will wonders never cease..amazing" Kakashi says in an amused voice. Something pounds against the ground.

"Yoo hoo" a man from the crowd says. "Don't go gettin' too comfortable yet."

"Who's gunna pay us now that Gato's gone?" another one says

"No way we're gunna leave here empoty handed. So we'll just have to hit that village and see what they've got for us."

"Not. Good." my brother says, and I squat down next to him.

"C'mon, Kakashi Sensei! Isn't their some kind of jutsu you can use to take care of these losers?"

"Not right now..I've used up too much chakra."

The crowd of men charge towards us with their weapons raised high, and I throw Kakashi's arm over my shoulder before something silvery catches the sun and lands at the foot of one of the men. The whole crowd stops and I whip my head back.

"Inari!"

"There's one thing you forgot about. Before you set foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!" a man in a hardhat says, and all the people of the village raise their weapons high with a loud yell. Inari stands at the very front of the crowd, and new strength floods inside me.

"Heroes usually come at the last second, right?" he asks, and Naruto and I laugh with him. Suddenly Naruto stands up and makes a row of shadow clones before my brother groans, and I slide out from under his arm.

"I might just have enough chakra to help you out.." he says before hundreds of clones appear around us. "Show Clone Jutsu! Kakashi Style!" they all say before eyeing the crowd. "Still want to fight?"

The men all shake their heads before turning tail and running towards the side of the bridge, throwing themselves into the water. I get up and make my way towards Zabuza, with the villagers cheers carrying on in the background. Kakashi appears next to me, and we share a look before walking together. He stands at Zabuza's head while I crouch down next to him.

"Sounds like its over." he mumbles.

"Yeah" my brother says.

"Kakashi..I have a favor to ask."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Take me to him..before I go. I need to see him one last time." I let out a soft sigh while Kakashi pulls his headband back over his eye. He looks at Zabuza softly.

"Sure."

I help Kakashi remove all the spears and poles from Zabuza's back, wincing every so often, though Zabuza's face remains blank. Kakashi scoops him up into his arms, and the three of us make our way over to Haku. Kakashi sets him down as I look up at the sky, holding out a hand in front me as soft, delicate snow drops float down into my open palm.

"Thank you" Zabuza says to Kakashi before he leaves, and when I turn to follow him, a hand grips my ankle weakly. I look down.

"I thank you too..and the blonde kid..for opening my eyes.." I nod.

"I..I'm glad. May the both of you find peace, now."

And as I stand with my brother and Naruto, listening to Zabuza's final words, the clouds open up and sets the snow drops on fire..and Zabuza exhales for the last time.

"He told me that it was always snowing where he came from-all the time" Naruto sniffles.

"Of course" Kakashi says. "His spirit was as pure as the snow..you never know, Zabuza..maybe you will join him there. Who's to say?"

* * *

"Soo..where exactly are you taking us?" Sasuke asks. I look over my shoulder and smile at my brother and teammates.

"You'll see."

We buried Zabuza and Haku not too long ago..and I figured that since there's still some daylight left, we could make one more trip before saying goodbye to Tazuna's family. I stop in front of the familiar cluster of green that looks so much like a wall, making my brother and everyone else stop behind me. I step to the side and press a hand against the shrubbery.

"This is my favorite part.." I say before I separate the shrubbery, light illuminating all our faces for a brief second. Naruto and Sakura gasp while Sasuke and my brother stare out at the sight before them. I let them all walk out first, and when I follow from behind its like stepping into a whole other world. Its dusk now, so the sky is a burning peachy color while the water that surrounds us has an almost purple hue. We all stand right at the waters edge, me on the other side of my brother, and neither one of us says anything for a long time. I bend down and stick a hand in the water, moving it side to side.

"Wherever they are now..I hope that they can see what we're seeing." I say, speaking of Zabuza and Haku. Kakashi hums, and when I look up I notice how his eye is closed, and how the wind is making everyone's hair wave like grass in an open field. I decide to give everyone a few more minutes to enjoy all this before my hand rips out of the water and a large wave of it splashes against everyone. Sakura lets out a playful squeal while Sasuke grumbles to himself..before the corner of his mouth lifts. A cloud of smoke appears before several Naruto's lift me up and fling me out into the water, and the sound of my brothers laughter is loud and pure.

I float back on the water, and for a second, I hear a content sigh through the gentle wind.

* * *

We decide to head out around noon , and the whole village meet us at the front gates, smiling and waving.

"We never could have done it without your help" Tazuna says

"Do be careful!" Tsunami says from beside him. Inari gets a hard, thoughtful look on his face before he rushes over and latches his arms around me.

"We're all very proud of you." I whisper into his ear before we both straighten up.

"Thanks for everything" Kakashi says with that eye smile of his, and Inari's eyes fill with tears before he rubs the back of his arm across them.

"Ya know..its okay to cry, Inari, there's really nothing wrong with it." Naruto says in a choked up voice. He and Inari stare each other down before Naruto turns around quickly before rubbing his eyes. We all say our final goodbyes before we set out again.

Ah..home, I think, walking on top the bridge wall before turning back and waving. The small form of Inari waving back.


	11. Night Trip

**Thank you too all the supporters of this story! Means a lot!**

* * *

It's nearly dusk when the Leaf Village gates finally come into view, and my relieved sigh mingles with everyone else's as we walk through them. The Land Of Waves is beautiful, and the ocean is something I'll never, ever forget, but it can never compare to the ancient trees, forests, and fields of the Hidden Leaf that really are like individual oceans all on their own...it can never compare to home.

"Well, I'm headin' to Itchi Raku's now. See ya guys later!" Naruto yells before running off, throwing up an arm to give us a final wave.

"See ya Naruto! Try not to fall out of any more trees!" I joke, and he turns around and sticks his tongue out at me.

Sasuke snorts as he turns on his heel and heads off in the opposite direction, and Sakura lets out a big yawn before smiling at the rest of us, all of us going our separate ways. For now, at least. Before leaving the Land of Waves, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and I were patched up at the infirmary, so Kakashi and I are able to head straight home. The sun sets slowly in front of us, and the dim light from it washes the dirt road beneath out feet in red light. There's no one else on this path..just my brother and I. It's quiet except for the sound of wind in the trees and our steady footfalls, and even though neither one of us says a word its anything but uncomfortable. It's a simple walk home, but nonetheless I try and absorb every second of it because, in truth, times like this with my brother don't come very often. I look up at the sky just to make sure the Hokage's messenger bird isn't flying around, and when the only thing I see is a patch of wispy cloud, I relax.

"Amedoru" Kakashi says all of a sudden, looking at me from the side.

"Whats up?"

His eye curves down into a smile "You really did well on the mission..you fought not only for your team, but for the people of the Hidden Mist Village as well..you truly cared for them, I could see it." He looks forward again..and the smile in his eye fades. " I'm just sorry I couldn't protect you from Zabuza" he finishes as he stares at my newly bandaged arm. I stop walking.

"Same here " I say, thinking about the large cut down his chest. "But hey, it's alright. As long as I can protect the people I care about, as long I can keep fighting, then any wound I get is worth it." Kakashi looks from the ground at me when I finish, and I smile at him. He looks like he wants to say something else, but it never comes. Truth be told, I wasn't really expecting this from him...the first part, at least.

We come around the last curve, and our small house seems to rise straight up from the ground. I look it over and think about how nice it'll be to lie down on my bed until a figure sitting hunched over on the porch catches my eye. I can't really explain it, but it feels like my pupils are widening before shrinking rapidly, like they're trying to tunnel my vision or something. But since I can't make out more than what's already there, I turn to Kakashi

"Do you see that?" I ask.

He stares off in the direction I was looking at for a couple seconds before he looks back at me with a glint in his eye. I bet that one of his eyebrows is quirked up under his headband.

"What do you think it is? Wait, let me rephrase that. _Who _do you think it is?" he asks, and I stare again at the person on our porch, all the while getting closer to the house. The person notices us coming and shoots up, waving with one arm. The closer I get, the more detail I'm able to make out.. like the spiky, black ponytail-wait a minute.

"Hey! Amedoru!"

"It's Shikamaru!" I say with a grin before I run off the path and into waist- high grass. Being without Shikamaru for as long as I have so far is something I haven't fully adjusted to yet. We've been practically inseparable since we were six years old. But we made a promise, a deal, I think to myself. Same team or not, things won't change for us. Nearing him I force myself to slow down so I don't crash into him, and bend over with my hands on my knees, panting. Shikamaru squeezes my shoulder and bends down too so we're eye level.

"I knew that you'd be fine, no matter what mission you were assigned. I heard from my dad that the Hokage said your team was coming back today, so.."

"How long have you..been waiting..here." I huff.

"I came here as soon as I heard, so..a while." he finishes, and the both of us straighten up. Soft footsteps approach us from behind, and Shikamaru looks over my shoulder.

"Hey Kakashi"

"Hello Shikamaru. How's your family?" Kakashi asks, coming to a stop beside me. Shikamaru shrugs

"They're doin alright. Did you guys have to fight anyone real tough?"

"Ill leave Amedoru to tell you all about it. But I will say that she and the rest of her team handled themselves well." Kakashi says before giving me a quick wink, and when he walks in between Shikamaru and I to go into the house he ruffles both our hair at once.

We both take a seat on the porch when something catches me eye. "Woah, when'd you get those?" I ask, pointing at the small, silver hoops on Shikamaru's ears. He reaches up a hand to touch one, and his mouth curves into a smile.

"Asuma, my sensei, gave these to me and the rest of my team. Says its something about it being the "first right of passage"."

"They look good on you." I say, and he thanks me. The sun continues to set slowly in front of us, though I don't really notice it. "What's your team like? Have you been on any missions yet?" I ask.

"Well, Choji's really cool. Cooler than Ino is, anyway." Shikamaru snorts. "He can do this thing called the Expansion Jutsu where his body inflates like a balloon so he can literally roll over his opponent." the both of us chuckle. "And Ino's specialty is the Mind Transfer Jutsu, where her mind or spirit or whatever has to leave her body in order to enter someone else's. It's kinda like my Shadow Possession-we can control other people's movements." Hm..so everyone on Shikamaru's team including himself have their own unique jutsu, like Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke. "So far I think the reason we were all put onto the same team is because all our jutsus help complement each others. Mine and Ino's help paralyze our opponent so Choji can roll in and take care of 'em... as for Asuma, well.." he trails off, with a contemplative look on his face. "He's a really good fighter. We've only been on a couple of missions so far-mainly capturing low rank criminals, but a few tried to pull some things on Asuma, and he put a quick end to it . And get this, he actually likes playing Shogi more than I do! He's been teaching me all these new moves and everything."

"Get outta here." I say. "Well who wins? You or him?" Shikamaru gives me a look like I should already know, and he's right.

"Sorry...and I'm not surprised."

Our conversation pauses for the moment, and the both of us watch as what's left of the sun sink in the horizon. Kakashi's room light's up behind me, and it casts a long shadow on the ground.

"Well what was your mission like?" Shikamaru asks, turning his body around so that he's facing me.

"It's a loooong story" I warn him, but he just shrugs his shoulders and waves his hand.

"We got all night, don't worry." So I mirror my body to Shikamaru's and turn around to face him with my legs crossed.

"Our original mission was to escort this bridge-builder named Tazuna back to the Land Of Waves, but it turned out we were all being followed by this hired assassin by this man named Gato who wanted Tazuna dead, because the bridge he was working on would stop him from having complete commerce control over the village.." I begin, and Shikamaru leans forward with his hands folded under his chin. His gray-brown eyes are intense looking, and they get even more so once I begin talking about Zabuza. "..so I used the transformation jutsu once I "sunk" under water to turn into a fish and crept up behind him so I could hold his legs steady to prevent him from blocking and counter-attacking Naruto..." From the thoughtful look on his face I can tell that Naruto's plan had a certain effect on Shikamaru, and when I tell him about how I was able to shoot up out of the water and land one on Zabuza, the corners of his mouth curve upwards. I cast a quick glance to the side at the illuminated window before speaking in a softer voice. "..and then afterwards I looked around for Kakashi, but Zabuza and I were the only ones on the water. He came at me with the giant shuriken he managed to catch."

"Did he..?" Shikamaru asks, his sentance trailing off. I shake my head.

"I thought I was going to feel it, ya know, the shuriken..but it never came. I had my eyes closed at the time, but when I opened them Kakashi was right in front of me. And he blocked the shuriken with the back of only one hand."

"Woah..well they don't say he's one of the best ninja in the village for nothin" Shikamaru says. From there I tell him all the rest, and I'm actually surprised when I finish quicker than I thought it would take. When I began to get into the more grittier parts of what happened on the mission, Shikamaru's mouth began twisting into a scowl, and when I told him all about Haku and Zabuza, the scowl gradually turned into a troubled, straight line. He asked to see the arm that Zabuza stabbed his knife into, and scooted closer towards me with a somewhat nervous look. We're lying on our backs now, staring up at the sky, and the light from Kakashi's window sort've makes it look like we're lying on a yellow blanket.

"What a drag" Shikamaru sighs. "It seems like people are blind only until their sight gets taken away forever." he says. I think on this, and at first I don't quite get what he means..until it hits me. There are some people in the world who can look at things without really seeing them, and when those things that matter to them deep in their hearts are gone, thats when they can finally understand that the meaning behind those things was always there to begin with.

"Mmm" I hum to myself after a moment, but Shikamaru doesn't reply, and I don't say anything either. The both of us are too busy just thinking. "Shikamaru" I say, and he turns his head over to look at me. "I got to see the ocean." I say, and his eyebrows raise slightly. "Close your eyes, and I'll show you what I saw." Once his eyes eyes are closed I bring back to the surface that day at the ocean. "Picture yourself walking through the woods, with thin trees on either side of you. There's this giant wall of shrubbery just up ahead, and when you reach out and push it aside, all this liquidy-looking light sort've just washes over your whole face for a second, and when it clears all you see for miles is all this water, with different shades of blue. There's a line that separates the sky and the water all the way out in the distance that's so thin it's almost invisible." I pause to look over at Shikamaru, and I continue on again at the sight of his peaceful face. "The sand is this really pale tan color that's so firm, yet soft at the same time. You're feet don't sink in it, but it rises up in between your toes. And when you move from the waters edge to stand in it when dusk comes, its like the sun sets right behind that line all the way out in the distance and into the water itself, and as it goes down the sky and the water change colors so slowly it makes you hold your breath. The sky starts getting splashes of orange through it, and the water gets an almost purple hue, and when the bigger waves make smaller ones that rise against the front of your legs its like little pieces of the sun are trapped inside all the little droplets of water combined to make that one wave.."

"Sounds like something that can only exist in a dream..you should be a poet, Amedoru" Shikamaru mumbles when I finish, and I let out a soft snort. I didn't even realize I had my eyes closed along with Shikamaru almost the entire time until I try to blink, finding it impossible to do so.

* * *

_Wind..leaves..trees..dirt..moonlight..water.._

_"You are not far enough..you must keep walking.."_

_A dirt road path..clumps of dirt that crush beneath my feet..bare feet..sticks snapping.._

_"You must get far enough away.."_

_Sharp stick..the smell of blood..voices.._

_Where am I?_

Something jolts inside me, and it's like my eyes snap open..though I know they've been opened for a while now. For a moment I'm completely lost until the small, stinging sensations on the soles of my feet cause me to look down..and I realize I'm standing barefoot in the middle of the woods. The woods? How did I end up here? Kakashi and I made it back home, didn't we? I shake my head a few times to the side like it'll somehow sort all of my thoughts..or at least keep them from getting too tangled together.

"We did make it home." I say. "But why am I here?"

The last thing I remember was weight on both my eyelids, and the almost inaudible sound of Shikamaru's light breathing. My eyes close and I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to remember what happened after that..but nothing at all comes to mind. I spin around slowly in a full circle, trying to find some direction in the darkness. What moonlight there is is only enough for me to make out the shape of my hands and feet. I bring a thumb up to my mouth before I make the hand sign Kakashi taught me that's used to summon only one of our eight ninja hounds. Akino appears in front of me in a cloud of smoke, and the moonlight glints off his sunglasses.

"What's wrong?" he asks, peering down at me, making his glasses slip down his snout.

"I-I'm lost. I don't know how I got here." I spit out as I squat down. Akino stares at me a moment before bumping his nose against one of my hands.

"Well alright, Kid. Let's get you home."

Akino scouts ahead of me, sniffing at the ground a total of two times. He leaps through a break in the trees, and I follow, noticing that the light in Kakashi's room is out. Akino walks me all the way to the porch, where Shikamaru's still lying on his back with his arms folded underneath his head.

"Thanks Akino..and will you do me a favor? Don't tell Kakashi, okay?"

Akino's silent for a moment. "I think he outta know, Amedoru."

"I know. I'll tell him if it happens again."

Akino stares at me from behind his sunglasses before letting out a quick sigh. "Alright."

Before he leaves, I bend down to scratch him on the head. When I step softly onto the porch, I notice my shoes are placed neatly over next to the door. It's a little chilly outside, but one look at Shikamaru tells me that trying to wake him wouldn't end up being very productive, so I go inside the house and grab a blanket for each of us, stopping to peer quickly into Kakashi's room. The covers are pulled up to his mid-chest, and his arms are folded loosely over it. I think about what Akino said, and what I said before stepping into his room and walking to the side of his bed. My little night trip isn't sitting right with me at all. I've been known to walk around places at night, but I've always been aware of where I was, and where I was going. I can't remember a thing about getting up tonight. I want to tell my brother, but what would he say? Shaking my head to myself I turn around to leave before Kakashi calls out to me with sleep lacing his voice:

"Amedoru, you okay?" Hm..right now, I'm not so sure.

"Yeah.. yeah I'm fine. Sorry, I was just checking on you."

"It's alright. Is Shikamaru still passed out on our porch?" If Kakashi saw Shikamaru asleep..that means he must've seen me asleep too..which means that I had to have gotten up sometime after he checked up on us..

"Yeah. I don't really feel like trying to get him into another room. We're just gunna stay outside." Kakashi sits up and looks at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Outside all night? I can come get Shikamaru up if you want."

"It's fine..it'll be his sore back tomorrow." I joke. "Goodnight, Kakashi..and thanks."

I throw a blanket over Shikamaru before curling up with my own, and as I lay on my side, all I can think about is how lately things with me have been so confusing, that anything even more confusing to come won't be completely unexpected.


	12. Robin's Egg Eyes, Applications,and Plans

Shikamaru is no where to be seen when I wake up, but something makes me lean over the porch and scan my eyes over the ground.

_Forgot Asuma called an early morning team meeting. Didn't wanna wake you. I'm glad we got to spend some time together again-Shikamaru._

Kakashi walks out onto the porch just as I begin folding the extra blanket that was laid over me- most likely by Shikamaru before he left.

"Shikamaru's gone? And I thought I'm the one who gets up first every morning." Kakashi says with a chuckle. I nod over to the indentations in the dirt with a small smile.

"Yeah, he said something about Asuma calling an "early morning team meeting" or something."

"So Asuma's preparing too" Kakashi says, tapping his chin with his fingers. "Oh, that reminds me, we have a little meeting of our own to attend." Kakashi must notice the slightly confused look on my face. "Sorry Ame, can't spoil it for you." Whatever "it" is sounds pretty important since both Asuma and Kakashi want to have a team meeting today . "Shikamaru was happy to see you." he says as he sits down next to me on the porch.

"I'm glad I got to see him too. It just doesn't feel right not having him around all the time anymore.."

"Sometimes being apart makes people stronger, make their relationships stronger" Kakashi says, and the both of us just sit for a while longer, listening to the birds. I swear, sometimes it's like my brother's lived a thousand lives..

* * *

It's when the both of us are making our way through the village by rooftops and trees that the feeling of sharp sticks stabbing my feet comes to mind. I had decided last night that Akino was right-I did need to tell Kakashi. About everything, I guess. And since I couldn't do it last night, or this morning for that matter, then right now could be my last chance.

"Uh, Kakashi?" I ask, speeding up a little so that I'm beside him.

"Hm?" He asks, looking at me.

"Can-"

He comes to a halt all of a sudden, and I don't realize we had jumped down from the rooftop we were just on onto a wooden pole above a small bridge until my feet slip, and before I know it I'm dangling upside-down like a possum. Naruto cocks an eyebrow before he cranes his head downwards, almost tipping over himself.

"Hey guys, good morning. Sorry we're late, afraid we got lost on the path of life" Kakashi says wistfully

"It's one crazy journey, let me tell ya" I say, beginning to feel my temples throb from all the blood rushing down.

"I'm ready for the next ninja-mission, sensei" Naruto says with shining eyes. Kakashi hops down from the pole, and I follow, sighing in relief when I manage to get both feet on the ground without making a complete fool of myself.

"And come on, no dumb beginner stuff, okay?!" Naruto says, and Kakashi holds his hands up. "I want a chance to prove myself. I'm talkin' a real mission to show what I'm made of! I gotta break out and burn it up, see?!" Naruto yells as the flame in his eyes ignites.

"Uh, right, I get it. That's great, Naruto" Kakashi says awkwardly. " Now take it easy, would ya?"

Naruto growls before turning around slowly and glaring at Sasuke, who opens his eyes and just stares back. A vein sticks out on Sakura's forehead.

"Let us know when you're done fantasizing, Naruto, so we can start the mission,alright?" Kakashi says.

"Soo..what exactly might that be?" I ask, bending over the bridge just in time to catch a frog that leaps out of the water. It croaks in my hands, and I lightly tickle its belly before I release it, getting droplets of water on my face from the big splash it makes.

"Something I think you'll like. We're gardening."

"SAY WHAT?! GARDENING?! YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING!" Naruto yells. Sakura's hand reaches out and smacks him on the back of his head.

"Hush up, Naruto." she says

* * *

"Look at you, Naruto. You're hopeless." Sakura says from my other side, curving her body around mine so she can get a full view of Naruto's somewhat blackened face. Sasuke snorts and removes Naruto's other arm from around his shoulders.

"You really are just one big problem."

" Come one guys, lay off." I say, eyeing Naruto's fading black eye. I reach over with my other hand to brush off the fine black dust that sits on his shoulder. That minefield incident was not pretty. Naruto's arm tightens around me before he starts growling. His head snaps up all of a sudden before his arm leaves my shoulders and he pulls himself away from me with his eyes on fire.

"SASUKEEE!"

Sakura goes into a striking position as one of her arms swings up in front of Naruto. Kakashi comes to a stop beside me.

"If you keep this up I'll finish you off myself!" she yells. Kakashi sighs

"Guess we're not making much progress on the whole teamwork thing, huh?"

"That's right, our team-work's all messed up and it's all because of you, Sasuke. You think you're better than everyone else?!" Naruto asks with a fist waving at Sasuke's back.

"Not everyone. Just you" Sasuke says, not once stopping or pausing to look over his shoulder to even look at Naruto. That in itself is pretty much a prime example of what our problem is. "Face it, I'm better and stronger than you are. It's a fact" he continues before he finally stops walking and turns to the side, looking at Naruto. "Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong."

I sense the Hokage's hawk before it calls down to us, and Kakashi and I both tilt our heads back. What could the Hokage need my brother for now? The orange book in his hands snaps shut as he sighs. "Alright guys, lets just call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time..anyway, I have to file my report on this mission."

"Whatever, I'm outta here." Sasuke says as he turns around on his heel and begins walking the other way. Sakura brings a hand up to her mouth with big eyes before she chases after Sasuke.

"Wait! I'll come with you!" she yells, waving an arm. Oh boy.. Sasuke pauses and says something to Sakura that makes her shoulders slump forwards, and he continues on his lone way.

"Hey Sakura, don't worry about Sasuke. You and me can develop our teamwork all day!" Naruto says with a grin, and I have to press my hand against my mouth to keep my laughter inside. Sakura's whole body shakes as her growling gets louder.

"Well, I'll see you later. If you can help it, please try and keep Naruto under control so Sakura won't kill him." Kakashi whispers over to me before patting the side of my head with his book. Before I can say anything back he's gone in a small cloud of smoke. Since we have the rest of the day off, I guess I can try and look for Shikamaru..but he's busy with his own team. So I take a seat on the ground, lean back up against the fence, and watch Naruto argue with three little kids who are all wearing identical goggles. Hm..Naruto used to wear ones like those all the time back at the academy. Sakura walks over to them, and as soon as Naruto says something she swings her first around and right into his face, sending him flying backwards and crashing into the fence.

"You're a witch! And you're ugly too!" the kid with the cape says angrily. Sakura stalks towards him, cracking her knuckles.

"Oh boy" I say as I jump up, sliding in front of the kid before Sakura can take a swing at him.

"Don't let it get to you, Sakura" I say, and with a huff she turns around on her heel and begins walking away. The kid behind me pipes up again:

"And your forehead is HUGE!"

Well, this is the end.

Sakura pauses mid-step and turns around slowly with a mechanical, maniacal smile. When she's turned all the way around all she does is stare at us.

"You might want to-" she charges forward

"RUN!" all of us shout. The little kid who's mouth I should have covered speeds ahead in front of all us, only to come to a stop before falling to the ground on his backside. Two people who I've never seen around the village before stand in front of us. One's a girl with..a fan on her back? And the other one is a boy with lots of purple makeup covering his face in designs. He's got something on his back too, but I can't tell what is it because of all the bandages wrapped around it. The only visible detail is a giant tuft of dark brown hair. They both look a few years older than Sakura, Naruto, and I.

"Do you need something?" the guy asks, eyeing the kid before he lifts him from the ground by the front of his shirt. I take a step forward

"Hey-"

"Konohamaru!" Naruto shouts.

"Does this hurt, punk?" the boy asks, tightening his grip on Konohamaru's shirt. Naruto bares his teeth when he starts whimpering. My hand begins inching towards the kunai on the side of my hip.

"Put him down, Kankuro. Or you know you'll pay for it later" the girl says with an eye roll.

"Hey, I'm sorry" Sakura says nervously with both hands clasped under her chin. " The whole thing was my fault."

"You better put him down, right now!" Naruto yells

"We got a few minutes before he gets here, why not just mess around with these punks?" Kankuro turns around with Konohamru still struggling in his grip to face the girl with him.

"Put me down, you jerk!"

"You're a feisty little one..but not for long" Kankuro sings. Naruto grits his teeth before he sprints towards them.

"Put. Him. Down!"

Kankuro's fingers begin twitching..wait a minute..

"Naruto, stop!" I yell, but he doesn't hear me. Using the Transformation Jutsu, I race after him on all fours. Naruto flies backwards and lands on his backside just as I slide to a stop beside him. He looks at me with a confused, angry expression and I shake my head. That thing on Kankuro's back? It's a puppet. And those things can be real deadly.

"What the..what the heck was that?!" Naruto yells

"You're a Leaf Genin too? Looks like your village is full of wimps" Kankuro says, and I growl lowly. From both the girl's and boy's headbands, it's obvious they're outsiders..from the Hidden Sand, I think. But why are they here?

"Drop him right now, or I take you out, you hear me, fool?!" Naruto scrambles to his feet and points a finger at Kankuro. I remember all of a sudden that Kakashi said to never show an outsider your jutsu..so I release mine. Sakura's arm snakes around Naruto's neck.

"You're the fool! You think making threats will help?!"

"You're annoying." Kankuro says before his eyes scan over us. 'All of you are..except for the one with the hedgehog hair. You're awfully quiet. Weren't you about to say something earlier?" he asks, looking at me in particular before continuing. "I don't like dealing with runts, or any other scrawny weaklings. And when a little wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth? I just wanna break 'im in half."

" I'm telling you right now to let him go and be on your way" I say, eyeing his fingers. Kankuro smirks as he looks over his shoulder at the girl.

"Fine" she says with a sigh. "But I'm not involved in any of this, okay?"

"First, I'll waste this one, then I'll take of the rest."

Sakura pulls Naruto and I back when we each take a step, one hand on each of our shoulders. Kankuro's fist closes in on Konohamru. The both of us break free from Sakura's grip, but before I can take a shuriken form my pouch, a streak of gray flies towards Kankuro and hit's him on the hand, making a spray of blood fly up and Konohamaru drop to the ground.

"You're a long way from home, and your way out of your league." Sasuke says from a tree branch, rolling what looks to be a rock or pebble in his hands.

"SASUKE!" Sakura squeals. Naruto's face sags a little and his shoulders slump forward.

"Eh.."

"Power of the pebble..has a nice ring to it." I joke, and Sasuke's mouth twitches. Konohamaru rushes over to Naruto.

"Oh great. Another wimp to tick me off." Kankuro grumbles, holding his injured hand.

"Get lost" Sasuke says before crushing the rock in his hand. Naruto makes an unhappy grumbling sound, and I bump my shoulder against his, hoping it'll comfort him a little.

"Hey punk. Get down here" Kankuro looks up at Sasuke. "You're the kind I hate the most. All attitude with nothin to back it up." He reaches behind him for the puppet, and I take out a couple shuriken before going to stand in front of the tree Sasuke's still sitting in. Kankuro bares his teeth at me in a dangerous smile, and I use the Transformation Jutsu again to drop down on all fours.

"Looks like you're not so tough with only one of your friends backing you up" My ears pick up on the tiniest sound, and everyone follows as I whip my whole body around. "Oh..he-he-hey, Gaara." Kankuro says with an audible gulp.

The first thing I see is a pair of eyes that are solid baby blue, like a robin's egg without the freckles. But there's something else entirely different about them..they're ..empty looking. But the longer I look, the more I begin to see that there's something more buried deep inside of them. Suddenly my whole body vibrates inside with internal ringing. It's almost as worse as last time. My Transformation Jutsu is released, and I press my hand against my stomach, trying to stop whatever's stirring around inside. "_Ah.." _An amused voice sighs inside, and my nails press into my stomach through my shirt as a small gasp leaves my mouth. I could actually _feel _it, the voice. Naruto puts a hand on my shoulder, but he doesn't get a chance to say anything. I look up again and see that the boy..Gaara, is staring directly at me with widening eyes. The ringing throughout my body gets worse the longer we stare at each other to the point where my hands begin to twitch. Another moment passes, everyone wearing confused looks, before Gaara looks away from me and over to Kankuro. The ringing dies down just a little.

"Kankuro..back off. You're an embarrassment to our village. Have you forgotten the reason we're here?" he asks in a slightly aggravated tone..though his face remains so stony it's beyond stoic, nothing like Shikaku or Shikamaru.

"I-I-I know. Bu-but they challenged us!" Kankuro stutters, and I break my eyes away to look over at him and the girl. The both of them are suddenly pale, and a bead of sweat runs down the side of Kankuro's face. From the way the both of them look at Gaara-with horrified eyes filled with something like hate, it isn't hard to see that he absolutely terrifies them. Why is that? Why are they looking like him like he's something..evil? "They started the whole thing, really. You see, what happened was-"

"Shut up." Gaara says. "Or I'll kill you."

Kankuro holds up his hands as more sweat drips to the ground. "Uh, right. Sorry, I was way out of line, Gaara."

Gaara looks at him a moment before twisting his head to the side to stare at Sasuke who cringes backwards just the slightest bit. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused." Before Sasuke can answer, though, Gaara disappears in swirling streams of sand before he reappears again on the ground in front of Kankuro and the other girl. I was right about them being from the Hidden Sand.

"A-alright. Sure, I get it" Kankuro says as they all turn around to leave. Sakura rushes in between Naruto and I.

"Hold on!..hey!" she yells, and the three come to a stop.

"What?" the girl asks without turning around.

"I can tell from your headbands that you come from the Village Hidden In The Sand." Hm..so she noticed too. "Of course our lands are allies, but no Shinobi can enter another's village without permission. So state your purpose..and it better be good." Sakura says, reaching behind her for her pouch.

"Hm..really?" the girl asks as she turns around, Kankuro and Gaara following. "Have you all been living under a rock or what? You don't know what's going on, do you?"

"Are you going to tell us?" I ask.

" We have permission." The girl says, holding up a slip of paper. " Of course, you're correct-we are Hidden Sand Genin. Our home is the Land of the Wind. And we're here for the Chunin Exams. Get the picture?"

Well, now I do. It all makes sense now. Kakashi had explained to me what the Chunin Exams were when I was younger. He said they're essential to pass if you want to become a Chunin. He also told me that the exams were like no other test in the world. But even though I asked Kakashi more about it, what you had to do, he wouldn't tell me. Said something about it being "a secret till the time comes".

"Huh? The Chunin Exams, what are those? I've never heard about anything like that before." Naruto says, his forehead wrinkling a little.

"I can tell. You're totally clueless."

"Pssst. Boss! It's the test every Genin has to take in order to become a Chunin-ranked ninja" Konohamaru whispers.

"Oh! I gotcha now! I'm so in!" Naruto yells, pumping a fist into the air. Gaara snorts a little under his breath before turning around to leave again, with Kankuro and the girl falling into step on either side of him,though they're several paces behind, all the same. Sasuke leaps to the ground from the tree.

"Hey, you. Identify yourself "

The girl turns around with red tinted cheeks and brings a hand up to her chest. "Hm? Who, me?"

"No, him. The one with the gourd on his back." Sasuke says, pointing a finger at Gaara's back. He comes to a stop before turning around, and the ringing inside me starts up again, though this time it's settled down to a dull vibration. Naruto's hand squeezes tighter on my shoulder, and I give the faintest of nods to him, just to let him know I'm alright.

"My name is Gaara of the Desert. I'm curious about you too. Who are you? "

"I am Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke says, with pride in his voice. Gaara stares him down without a word..until Naruto slides in front of Sasuke.

"Bet you're dyin' to know my name, right?"

"I couldn't care less." Gaara deadpans. Sakura and I share a quick look. The three Sand-Ninja are out of sight, and everyone else turns their heads away and begin talking in low voices. For some reason I can't look away from the spot where they were standing.

Gaara of the Desert...there's something about him. The ringing finally stops.

* * *

_A loud snap echoed through the woods as my foot fractured another tree branch, leaving behind a splintery indentation. I was being followed, I knew it. I could hear their voices behind me, closing in on me. The moonlight shone in patches through the empty spaces in the tree tops. I was so tired, but I kept on going because I had to, even though my legs were on fire and it felt like a weight was being shoved down my throat. It hit me after a while that I couldn't hear the people following me anymore, so with a final leap I settled onto a branch, standing up slowly before looking over my shoulder. No one was there. The first thing I saw when I turned back around was a pair of two solid, curious looking robins egg eyes staring right at me. Gaara stood upside down, eyeing me with his arms crossed. I opened my mouth to say something to him- to ask him something, but I never got the chance. He was gone in a spiral of swirling sand. _

"AAAARRG! Why does this always happen?! He sets the time but he's NEVER HERE!" Sakura yells, snapping me out of my thoughts as my foot slips off the wooden guard-rail of the bridge. A hand shoots out and grabs my arm, steadying me.

"Thanks"

"Mhm" Sasuke replies.

"I mean, what about my feelings, huh? I ran over here so fast I didn't have time to blow-dry my hair!" Sakura continues, spinning around to face me. "Amedoru, as his sister do you think you can talk to Kakashi-Sensei about being so tardy all the time?!"

"Well..I've never thought about talking to him about it before. He's always been late...to most things. It's just a part of who he is" I shrug, patting her shoulder. Him being late doesn't bother me, but I do wish he was home this morning. I wanted to get the dream I had last night off my chest..that, and the other night.

"It's not fair! I didn't have time to brush my teeth or change my underwear!"

All of us stop what we're doing to stare at Naruto.

"Um..Naruto, that's really gross" Sakura says, backing away a few steps. I rest on arm on his shoulder.

"My friend, it sounds like what you need is a nice, quick dip in the river." Naruto opens his mouth to protest before my brother poofs in, squatting on top the wooden pole above us like last time.

"Hey guys, good morning. Sorry I'm late..afraid I got lost on the path of life." he says just as wistfully as last time.

"YOU LIAR!" Sakura and Naruto shout at the same time.

"If you were traveling that path again then why wasn't Amedoru with you, huh?" Naruto asks, crossing his arms. Sakura rakes a hand down the front of her face while Sasuke sighs and shakes his head. Kakashi rubs the back of his neck nervously before transporting down to us.

"Sorry this is so sudden" he says, reaching out an arm to ruffle my hair softly. "But I recommended you for the Chunin Exams. All four of you. These are the applications." he says as he takes out four sheets of paper from one of his vest pockets.

"Oh..wow" I breath, taking a paper from him.

"Application forms?"

"You're repeating me Sakura" Kakashi says. "This is completely voluntary, it's up to each of you. If you're not ready, then wait till next year." Kakashi shoots me a quick glance. Does he think I'm not ready? Hm..I think, reading over the sheet. Even though I'm not too sure about it, I think I'll give it a shot. If I want to push myself, then this right now is the best way to do it. I gotta prove to my brother that I can do this.

"Aaall riight! Kakashi-Sensei, you rock!" Naruto cheers before he flies past me and leaps onto my brother, hugging him tightly around the neck. Kakashi staggers back with a cry of protest before he spins around in a full circle, trying not to loose balance. Either that, or he's hoping to throw Naruto off somehow. His arms stay rigid at his sides before they hesitantly reach up around Naruto's back to pull him off. Kakashi's never been one for hugging. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time we hugged each other..

"Hey, hey. Don't slobber on my vest!" he says once Naruto's back on the ground. "Alright. If you want to take the exams, just sign the forms and meet in room three-oh-one at the academy. It starts at three p.m five days from now. That's it."

"Haha..Chunin Exams..Chunin Exams!" Naruto brings the paper closer to his face with a wide grin. Kakashi tosses me a pen as I sit down with the rest of my teammates, all of us forming a circle with the forms in front of us.

"What do you guys think? Amedoru?" Sakura asks, eyeing the pen in my hand. I take a moment to re-read over the form before looking up to meet my brother's curious look.

"I'm in. What's the worst that can happen, right?" I say before signing my name on the paper before passing the pen over to Sasuke.

* * *

"Hm..Chunin Exams..I'll be up against a lot of wicked cool ninja!" Naruto says as he holds up his application in front of him. He has a point..those three Sand Ninja most likely aren't the only visitors in the village. There are probably ninja from all over..and there are probably some who have their own, unique jutsus, like Naruto with his shadow-clone jutsu, and Sasuke with his Fire-style. The Transformation Jutsu I use to to turn into animals is great and all, but it probably wouldn't get me far if I had to battle either Naruto or Sasuke. The thought makes me shiver-having to fight my own teammates..my own friends. Sakura falls behind all of a sudden with a sad look on her face. She's probably feeling the same as I am. She looks up from the ground with a startled expression when I sling my arm over her shoulders before a small smile forms on her lips.

We all split off in different directions when we make it to the end of the bridge. Naruto wants to start training as soon as possible, and Sakura went with Sasuke. Shikamaru's still probably busy with his team, so I decide to take a walk through the woods, despite the dream I had. The woods are like a part of me. A couple birds chirp to each other overhead, though I can barely hear them because I'm too deep in thought. Those of us taking the exams have to meet at the academy five days from now..to do who knows what. I don't know whether these exams are on paper, or on a battlefield. Right now the Transformation Jutsu is my strongest weapon, but I can't rely on it forever the way it is. I have to find something new to use..or at least improve the Jutsu I already have. Maybe both.

The faint sound of chirping birds leave my ears just in time for me to turn around and duck as someone swings a kunai at me. I leap up onto a branch and look down at a man wearing a mask that covers the lower part of his face and a straw hat. He's wearing dark clothing..and a headband, I think. But the straw hat on his head covers most of it so I can't tell where he's from. Could this be another ninja here for the Chunin Exams?

"Whats the matter? Afraid to come play with me?"

I look him over. Aside from a couple of kunai and shuriken, it doesn't look like he has anything else on him weapon-wise. I wait for him to make the next move, and when two more kunai come flying towards me I leap off the branch and take out a couple kunai of my own. They cancel each other out, and to my surprise, the kunai the guy threw at me angle themselves downwards towards him. While he's busy deflecting them I transform into a bear in mid-air, and as soon as my feet touch the ground again I race towards him before head-butting him from behind, sending him face-first into a tree.

"Who are you?" I ask

"Funny..your friends asked me the same thing. Even your brother..I must say, I expected more from Kakashi of the Sharingan." he says as he turns himself over before getting on his feet again.

There's absolutely no way he took my brother and teammates out.

I fling a few shuriken at him and watch as they go right through him and into the tree trunk. My suspicion's confirmed as soon as he disappears in a cloud of smoke. I look around for any more attackers and almost expect to see Gaara standing upside down on a tree branch, staring at me. The Chunin Exams begin in five days..which means that I have five days to figure out how I'm going to get through them.


	13. Amedoru, Gai, and Ro-Lee

**_A big thank you goes out to everyone who's either reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. Thanks for checking it out! pizzafan123, I can't thank you enough for all the feedback and support. I really appreciate it~lastoftheamericandreamers _**

* * *

_Amedoru peeked her head inside Kakashi's room to see him doing push-ups next to his bed. He went down and pushed himself up again before he spotted her, and when he did his eye curved down into a smile before he beckoned her inside with his head. Amedoru smiled to herself and walked inside before climbing on-top her brother, positioning herself on his back cross-legged much like she had done when she was a small child. Kakashi resumed his workout as Amedoru stared out the window, and the even, steady sound of his breathing made her remember why she had come to his room in the first place. She swallowed a lump in her throat. Why was she so nervous about telling Kakashi? He was her brother after all. He paused mid push-up and twisted his head around, studying his sister and how she was gazing out the window._

_"You alright, Ame?" _

_Her head snapped around to face him, her face taking on a thoughtful, unsure look. Kakashi lowered himself to the floor and Amedoru slid off, taking a seat across from him._

_"Whatever it is, Ame,you can tell me." Kakashi said. The look on her face..how she was so quiet..it was beginning to concern him. Maybe it has something to do with the Chunin Exams? he thought. "If you're worried about the exams.." he began, but Amedoru shook her head._

_"No..well, yeah, I'm nervous out of my mind about that. But it's...I think I might have slept walked or something the other night when Shikamaru was here" she rushed, glancing at Kakashi. He leaned forward, the concern in his eyes blossoming further. Amedoru continued, and Kakashi rested a hand on-top of hers, removing it when her hand became still again. Picking at her fingers when she was nervous had always been an unbreakable habit._

_"It was like I was unconscious or something. And when I finally snapped out of it, I was in the middle of the woods with no idea how I got there. I don't even remember waking up or taking off my shoes. I summoned Akino and he walked me back here.." _

_Kakashi thought for a moment before putting the pieces together. That's probably why she came into his room that night-to tell him. He felt guilty. He should have been able to tell that something had happened to her, that she wanted to tell him something. He would have to keep a closer eye on her, he thought. Just to make sure she was alright. He was about to ask her if she had talked to Shikamaru about it, but these days he and Ame were so busy they hardly got to see each other anymore. From the sound of it, Amedoru had only slept-walked once. Strange things sometimes happen to people, Kakashi thought, though he couldn't get rid of the feeling inside him that was saying that it could be something more. This was a first time thing for his sister, and whether it was from stress, or even just a coincidence, he didn't know. Whatever the reason, he'd make sure it didn't happen again._

* * *

"..for Chunin, it's always life or death."

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I make our way through the small group of people standing outside room 301. There are two men stationed on either side of the door. I figure that the one with the sneer on his face is the one who's been talking.

" You think it's a joke? Chunin are qualified to lead missions. The lives of your squad members are completely in your hands, so you better be tough enough to take the heat." A couple people to the far right of us are on the ground, but I can't get a good look at them. Something definately went down just before we showed up. I search for a spiky black ponytail in the crowd of people, but Shikamaru isn't here. Come to think of it..there's really no one else here, besides Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, that I recognize.

"Delicate little girls are not allowed." the man continues. " You wont pass anyway, so why dontcha just go home and play with your dolls?" My teammates and I all step forward until we're at the very front of the group. Both guards grimace at us.

"Real nice speech." Sasuke says. "Now both of you step aside and let me through. "And while you're at it, go ahead and reverse your Gen-Jutsu, I can see through your illusion. We're going to the _third _floor." If thats the case,then where are we?

"Well well..so you noticed, huh, kid?"

"Go ahead, Sakura, tell them. I'm sure you saw it long before I did." Sasuke says, looking over his shoulder with a small smile. Sakura looks up with confusion on her face. "You have the sharpest eyes and the best analytic skills on our squad. You must've seen this coming a mile away. You too, Amedoru. I'm sure Kakashi's taught you how to see through Gen-Jutsu by now."

"I must have?" Sakura mutters under her breath before continuing on in a surer voice. "Well sure I have, of course I spotted it right away. This is only the second floor."

"Right!" Naruto says, nodding his head firmly. I don't say anything, but the both of us give knowing, slightly embarrassed looks to each other. The sign that reads "301" warps, "201" taking its place. This must be why Shikamaru isn't here. He must've seen through the jutsu just as quick as Sasuke.

"Well good for you kid, looks like we aren't the only smart ones here. But lets see you deal with this!" one of the guys says before twisting around and raising his leg up. Before any of us can react, a green blur rushes in between Sasuke and the guard, both of their legs going rigid as soon as they get caught by the ankles. Even with Sasuke's body blocking most of my view I know exactly who it is. I haven't seen Lee in a looong time.

"Hey, what happened to the plan? I thought you said to keep a low profile so no one sees our skill level?" a boy says as he and a girl walk towards Lee. They must be his teammates. Lee's fists tighten as his shoulders sag a little. The boys eyes are hardened, and full of bitterness.

"I know but-"

"Never mind, lets just forget it." the girl says, closing her eyes and bringing her hands up to rest on her hips. Lee spins around with his fist clenched in front of him, and if he didn't look so angry, I'd say something. I wonder if he even remembers me? That's ridiculous to think, though. It hasn't been that long since we last saw each other. Lee walks past Naruto, Sasuke, and I and heads straight for Sakura.

"My name is Rock Lee." he says. Sakura shoots me a nervous glance, and I just shrug lightly. "You are Sakura, right?" Wait, wait. How in the world does he know Sakura's name? And how come he hasn't recognized me by now? I shake my head and focus again on the two.

"Huh?" Sakura asks, her cheeks turning pink. Lee flashes her a toothy smile, and that along with the thumbs-up is enough to make me think of a younger Gai.

"Please be my girlfriend." Lee says with a wink, and I chuckle softly. He hasn't changed at all from when we were both kids. Still as sweet,yet bold as he was back then. "I vow to protect you with my life."

"Definitely..not" Sakura says, and Lee's face falls as a whine leaves his mouth. "But why?"

"Because you're a weirdo."

Naruto laughs, and I elbow him lightly in the ribs. I pat Lee on the shoulder, but he doesn't even look up. 'Hey you, over there." a voice says, and when we all turn around we see it's just Lee's two other teammates. "What's your name?" the boy asks, looking at Sasuke.

"It's only common courtesy to give your name before asking for someone elses." Sasuke replies coolly. Naruto's eye's light on fire again. "You're a rookie, aren't you? How old are you, anyway?" the boy asks. The longer I look at him, the more he reminds me of someone, appearance wise.

"I'm not obliged to answer that." Sasuke says before he turns around and walks back towards us. The boy takes a step forward with a scowl, but the girl grabs him by the shoulder.

"C'mon guys, lets just go." Sakura says before grabbing Naruto and Sasuke's wrists and leading them down the hall. I pat Lee on the shoulder again as I walk by him, not paying attention to see if he even looked up as I catch up with my teammates. I sling an arm around Naruto's shoulders, and the four of us walk with a nice, steady pace in an almost straight line down the hall. Sasuke grumbles under his breath. When we reach a flight of stairs we separate from each other, each of us most likely lost in our own thoughts about the exams. To be honest, I still don't know if I'm ready, but maybe riding the wave will get me to shore quicker.

* * *

The room we walk into is spacious with a polished wood floor and stone pillars. Lee's voice bounces off both: "Hey, you with the attitude. Hold on." Sasuke makes a low, almost inaudible grumbling sound before he turns around slowly with the rest of us following. Naruto lets out a surprised yelp while Sakura's whole body coils in on itself.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asks.

"I want to fight. Right here, and right now."

"Really?" Sasuke asks again just as Lee leaps down to the floor with us. As he straightens up, his eyes go over each of us, though when they land on me, Lee does a double take, and his big black eyes grow even bigger like the smile on his face.

"I do not believe it!" he says with a small shriek before disappearing in a flash, and before I know it my feet leave the ground as my body swirls around in a big circle. Lee sets me down before grabbing my shoulders with his hands, looking down at me with a few tears in his eyes. I can't help the happy laughter that leaves my mouth as I throw my arms around his middle and hug him tightly. It sure took him long enough..

"Rock Lee, I was beginning to think you forgot all about me!" I joke. Lee presses me even tighter against him, and Naruto takes a step forward.

"My dear cousin,it's been too long! Look at you!" Lee exclaims, pulling me from him to look at me again. "I could never forget you, Amedoru." he says in a softer voice, brushing his fist across the side of my chin lightly. I smile softly. "Same here, Lee." Naruto's jaw drops to the ground.

"Whattya mean by "dear cousin"?! What the hecks going' on?!"

"Um..how do you guys know each other?" Sakura asks, her eyes flicking back and forth between Lee and I. Sasuke questions me with his eyes.

"Lee and I here-" I begin, throwing an arm around his shoulders "go way back. We've known each other since we were little kids. He's the student of Might Gai, who's a real good friend of Kakashi's. I stayed with Gai's a lot when Kakashi went on..missions. That's how I met Lee. We used to play together a lot before Ro-Lee got real serious with his training. He's like family to me." I finish before gesturing between the both of us with my hand. "Can't you see the resemblance?"

Naruto grins with his hands atop his head while Sakura chuckles a bit uncomfortably. Sasuke's face remains the same, though the questioning look in his eyes is gone.

"I've heard about the Uchiha Clan., and how great they are. I want to see if it is true. I figure you will be a good test for me, Sasuke." Lee says, moving away from me to stand back a good distance away from Sasuke. His hands curve down into fists that are held loosely, yet determinedly in front of him. "Oh, and Sakura?" Lee asks, glancing at her from the corner of his eye as his cheeks flush. Sakura makes a funny noise and her body tenses up again. "Oh Sakura..I love you!" Lee says. Sakura screams and backs away several steps with her hands raised, shaking her head. I guess his passion's too much for her.

"NOOOO! Those eyebrows can't be real! Your hairstyle's horrible too..but your eyebrows are so bushy! You're such a weirdo!" she shrieks.

"C'mon, Sakura" I say in a soft voice, trying to tell her through eye contact that she's making Lee feel bad even though he probably won't show it.

"But you are an angel sent from Heaven!" Lee says. He winks a kiss at Sakura, and she clutches her hair in her hands before jumping over to the side.

"That was a good move. But let us see you dodge this!" Lee blinks both eyes rapidly, but Sakura manages to dodge all of his wink-kisses.

"Hey! Keep your creepy valentines to yourself! I was dodging for my life back there!" Sakura shouts. Lee's eyes and shoulders droop, and I sigh.

"You do not have to be so negative, Sakura." he says.

"So you've heard of the Uchiha Clan, yet you're challenging me?" Sasuke asks with a skeptical look. "You must be even more psycho than you look." I shoot Sasuke a look. Sometimes he overestimates himself too much. "You wanna know more about my clan? Then I'll teach you. The hard way." Lee brings a hand up in front of him, with the back of it facing Sasuke. The idea of them fighting each other doesn't exactly appeal to me, but it's not really my place to stop them. I will admit that I'm curious to see how it'll play out.

"Bring it on." Lee says. Naruto rushes forward a few steps.

"Hold it!"

"What's wrong?" I ask, and he glances at me from the corner of his eye.

"I get 'em first. This weirdo is mine."

"Go for it." Sasuke says. Sakura growls.

"Naruto.."

A noise rises from the back of my throat. "Be careful" I say. Lee may be a bit odd, but he sure is something else. Underestimating him isn't only an insult, it's a big mistake. It's the same with Naruto, I think as the fire in his eyes grows.

"Don't you worry about me, Amedoru. It'll only take me two minutes to have this guy begging for mercy."

"No thank you. Right now the only one I want to fight is Uchiha." Lee says, never taking his eyes off Sasuke.

"Yeah? Well I've got news for you. Sasuke can't compare to me, believe it!" Naruto shouts as he takes off towards Lee. Very slowly, Lee's outstretched hand moves from Sasuke to in front of Naruto. His other hand's behind his back. Naruto lakes a huge leap and swings his arm just as he nears Lee, but before he can touch him, Lee's hand moves so swift and snakelike it's hard to tell what really happened. The tips of his fingers press down into the back of Naruto's hand, and his whole body ducks down and off to the side. Using his hands, Naruto gets his balance back, swinging his leg around. Lee dodges it easily. "Leaf Whirlwind!" he yells before his own leg sweeps behind Naruto's, sending him spinning into the wall.

"Just accept it, you have no chance against me. Your skills are inferior. You see Sasuke.." Lee begins. I walk over to Naruto who's slumped up against the wall and crouch down beside him. "out of all the top Leaf Genin, I am the best. Fight me and I will prove it to you."

Sasuke hums to himself. "This'll be fun. Lets do it." he says with a smirk, and I pull Naruto up and move us far over to the side as quick as I can.

"There's no time, Sasuke. We've gotta register by three o'clock. That's less than half a hour." Sakura says, and I twist my head over to look at the clock. She's right. But aside from time, there's something else we have to worry about. What if Lee or Sasuke gets seriously injured?

"Relax. This will all be over..in five seconds." Sasuke says, rushing towards Lee.

"If you guys beat each other senseless, you'll be no good for the exams." I call out to them.

"What's goin on?" Naruto mumbles before the both of us gasp. Lee just..vanished. Right into the air. "Hey, where'd he-" Naruto begins, but his words fall short as soon as Sasuke hit's the ground with a loud thud. I heard from Gai that Lee was fast..but fast is an understatement.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouts. All of us wait a moment before Sasuke pushes himself up from the ground slowly and gets on his feet.

"I've been waiting to try this out." He says. From the sound of it, Sasuke's been working on some stuff too. His head raises slowly, and two equally blood-red eyes stare Lee down with a superior look. It's his Sharingan. Sasuke takes off towards Lee again, and a smirk plays at the corner of his mouth. His Sharingan may be able to read Nin-Justu and Gen-Jutsu..but Tai-Jutsu has always been Lee's specialty. Sasuke won't be able to see through it. Lee's body bends backwards and his leg sticks out, slamming against Sasuke's under-jaw and sending him flying upwards. A small smile tugs on my lips.

"You see, I am using neither Nin-Jutsu or Gen-Jutsu." Lee says, jabbing an elbow into Sasuke's side.

"He's using Tai-Jutsu-his specialty." I say. Sakura gasps and Naruto's jaw drops open. Sasuke looks at Lee with wide eyes.

"And that means no tricks. It is strictly just martial arts, nothing more." Lee says, disappearing before reappearing behind Sasuke. He grunts and swings his arm out only to make contact with absolutely nothing. "I know your technique." Lee says, appearing behind Sasuke again. Sasuke whirls around with the angriest look I've ever seen on him before. "And it will not work on me. I know you can see through your opponents jutsu. That Sharingan gives you the ability to read chakra and decipher hand-signs and movements so you can guess what your opponents going to do almost before he knows it himself." Lee goes on to explain how Sasuke's too slow to match his Tai-Jutsu, even if he could somehow mimic Lee's movements. Sasuke growls and clenches his fists even tighter. "I believe there are two kinds of ninja. Those like you who are born with talent and do not have to work at it, and those like me-the ones who have to train every day of our lives" Lee dodges Sasuke's punch. "The fact is, your Sharingan is the worst match for my extreme Tai-Jutsu. Here is what I mean!" Lee yells as his leg swings up from the ground and collides with Sasuke's under-jaw, sending him flying into the air again. Lee drops to all fours, and a faint blue circle appears around him. His body fades in and out a little before he's completely gone,appearing directly behind Sasuke . A long strip of white bandage unwinds itself from Lee's arm. Is he trying to- something whizzes through the air and stabs through the bandage, pinning it against the stone wall.

"That's enough, Lee." A voice says. Lee's head snaps to the side, like mine, and he flips backwards , landing in a kneeling position in front a large red turtle.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouts, sprinting forward before sliding down on her knees, catching Sasuke in her arms.

"..that last technique is forbidden, you know that!" the turtle yells. Lee's head falls forward. He mutters something and his head raises a little before his whole body shoots up. He starts stuttering out an apology when Naruto races over to Sasuke and Sakura, dragging me with him.

"Hey, you guys! That thing he's talkin' to is a turtle, right?" Naruto asks, pointing a finger.

"Of course, what do you think it is?!" Sakura says angrily.

"Okay, so that means turtles can be Sensei to!"

The both of them start arguing as Sasuke and I study the turtle. It looks..pretty familiar. I bring a hand up to my chin. Where have I seen him before?

"..are you prepared for your punishment, then?" the turtle asks. Lee mumbles something under his breath. "Alright then. Please come out..Gai-Sensei!"

Now I remember..he's one of Gai's oldest summons! Gai pops in in a cloud of smoke..in a pretty weird position. "Heeeey everybody, how ya doin? Life treatin you good?" he rushes out, and while my teammates' jaws drop and shrieks leave their mouths, a big grin forms on mine as I race forward.

"Gai!"

When he sees me coming an equally big grin forms on his own mouth as he hops down from the turtle, and when I jump into his arms he tosses me over his shoulder, laughing. "Well I don't believe it! Little Ame Hatake!" he sets me down before trapping me around the neck with one arm, rubbing his knuckles into my hair with his hand. "Just look at her, Lee! We haven't seen you in so long, Amedoru. You've grown!" Gai says, releasing me. Before he can lift me up again, or give me another noogie I step forward and grab him in a big hug.

"I've really missed you. Both of you." I say, stepping back to look between Gai and Lee. Simultaneously both their thumbs lift towards the sky, and a toothy smile appears on their faces.

"So that's where he gets it! Same soup-bowl haircut..and even bushier eyebrows, the biggest yet!" Naruto exclaims, and Lee whips around with a raised fist.

"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT GAI-SENSEI! HE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

"WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT NOTICING HIS GREATNESS I WAS TOO BUSY WATCHIN' HIM CRAWL OUT FROM UNDERNEATH A TURTLE!"

"HE DID NOT CRAWL OUT!"

Gai and I share a look. "Give it a rest, Lee." he says as I put my hand on his shoulder, patting it.

"Huh? Oh..yes sir" Lee mumbles, turning back around to face Gai and I.

"Now, for your punishment." Gai growls deeply, and Lee leaps behind me with a quick yelp, gripping my shoulders with both hands. Gai disappears and the hands gripping my shoulders disappears.

"You little fool!"

I spin around just in time to watch as Lee soars across the room, flipping a few times, before smacking down to the ground. Gai walks over to him and kneels in front of his head.

"I'm sorry, Lee. But it's for your own good." Gai says in a choked up voice.

"S-Sensei..I'm sorry!" Lee says in an equally choked up voice

"Oh Lee..'

"Oh Sensei!"

The smell of salty water wafts from the both of them.

"It's over, Lee. You don't need to say your sorry." Gai says just as Lee rushes into his arms, the both of them sobbing. Something warm ignites inside me. Watching the both of them now..watching them back when I was a little kid..sometimes I wished Kakashi and I had what the both of them have. Sometimes I still do. Gai lifts his head up and twists it around with Lee following. "Get in here, Amedoru." Gai sniffles. Lee scoots hastily over to the side, and both he and Gai stretch an arm out towards me, making a spot for me to fit in. I'm no more than half a step away from them before they both pull me down to the ground with them, wrapping their arms around me tightly. Lee's tears drip steadily on my head. Gai and Lee continue sobbing, but I just smile softly and lean further into their embrace. Boy, I've really missed this.

"You're just caught in between. Too old to be called a boy, but not yet old enough to be called a man."

"You are so good to me..Gai-Sensei!" Lee says.

" Now take off! I wantcha to give me one hundred laps around the practice field, show me whatcha got!" Gai says, pointing a finger out in front of him. Lee's face takes on a determined look, and his arms raise as he clenches his hands into fists.

"Yes sir!"

"Run off into the setting sun..run and suffer. But don't mess up your hair."

"Hey wait a minute, we're not finished here. You guys can't just take off yet!" Naruto says.

"And what about the Chunin Exams?" Sakura asks. "There's no time for fooling around!" I wouldn't be surprised if we haven't already missed the three o'clock deadline..

"Oh, that's right." Gai chuckles, resting a hand on the back of his neck. " I forgot about that." he clears his throat " Lee, you not only disobeyed the rule again, but you disrupted the Chunin Exams. I think that calls for a slightly more severe punishment, don't you?"

"Yes sir!"

"Let's say ..five hundred laps! How does that sound?"

"Outstanding, sir!"

Gai puts his hands on his hips, looking at Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto before looking at me. "Say, Amedoru, these your teammates?"

"You bet" I say.

"Kakashi your Sensei?"

"Yeah" I say with a proud smile.

"Ya know..some people say that Kakashi and I are arch-rivals for all eternity" Gai says, looking at my teammates.

"HUH?! THERE'S JUST NO WAY!" Naruto and Sakura shout, and I just can't help but chuckle at their reaction. Lee rushes to Gai's defense again, but Gai just holds up a hand.

"Just let it slide, Lee. A ninja's actions always speak louder than words." He pops up behind my teammates with a fond look on his face and a hand on his chin. " My record is fifty-nine wins and forty losses, which is one better than his, by the way." Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura give me surprised, questioning looks, and I nod. I remember one time Kakashi lost to Gai in a rice eating contest, and because he lost he had to watch me walk around the village with Gai and Lee dressed up in a dark green jumpsuit and orange legwarmers. The look on his face was priceless..

_Flashback: Kakashi POV~Third person_

_"Well Kakashi, it looks like I'm the top dog around here when it comes to eating" Gai said, leaning back in his chair and picking his teeth with a toothpick. His eyes had been closed in contentment, but they opened when no response came from the spiky haired ninja next to him. Then he saw why. Kakashi was fast asleep with his arms folded on the table and his head resting on them. Gai took the toothpick out of his mouth as he stared. After a moment Kakashi's eyes fluttered opened, and he sat up and stretched his back. _

_"Sorry, all that food put me to sleep. Did you say something by the way?" _

_Gai growled, and the pick in his hand snapped. He breathed deeply before flashing Kakashi a toothy smile._

_"Well, I was going to say that since you lost.." _

_Kakashi eyed the mischievous, yet genuinely excited look in Gai's eyes. This isn't sounding so good already.. he thought to himself. As soon as Gai finished his sentance, Kakashi's stomach flipped. He just might empty his stomach all over the table.._

_"Come on, Kakashi. You lost the contest." Gai said as he held up a small version of his usual ensemble. Kakashi just stared back at him with that lazy, half-lidded expression of his. A little girl peeked her head around the corner before a big smile lit up her face. She walked up behind her brother and tried to squeeze beside him out the door, but Kakashi stretched a hand out, holding her back. _

_"Well look who it is! You're just the person I want see." Gai said cheerfully, squatting down. Amedoru looked at the small, dark green jumpsuit before looking up at her brother._

_"Is that for me?" she asked. Kakashi sighed. _

_"Gai, there is no way she's wearing that." _

_Gai stood back up, putting a hand on his hip._

_"Hey now, we had a deal, remember? You have to own up to your side. You don't wanna be a bad example to the little one, do you?" he said with a raised eyebrow. Kakashi's eyes traveled from Gai's convincing face, down to the jumpsuit, and then down to the slightly confused face of his little sister. He growled internally before snatching the suit from Gai, wincing at it as soon as the material brushed against his fingers. _

_"Come on in." he said in an annoyed voice before he spun around on his heel and walked inside with a hand on Ame's back. Gai chuckled to himself and skipped inside._

_Kakashi handed Amedoru the jumpsuit after giving her a brief explanation of why she had to wear it. Amedoru let out a soft "Oh" before taking the suit and walking into the bathroom. Kakashi joined Gai in the living room and leaned against the wall. Not long after, the bathroom door slid open, and Ame's head peeked around the corner a bit shyly. Gai leaped to his feet with a smile._

_"Come on out, little Hatake! Let's get a good look at you." he said enthusiastically. She came out from around the corner, and Gai turned to Kakashi with a thumbs-up and a toothy smile. All Kakashi could do, however, was just stare at his sister, before bringing his hand up to his face, shaking his head. A few, short chuckles escaped his mouth. Gai walked over to Amedoru before picking her up and slinging over his shoulder. _

_"Well, I must say that you look positively fabulous. Well, Kakashi. Lee's waiting, so the both of us will just be going now." _

_Kakashi pushed himself from the wall. "Gai, you can't be-" he managed to say before the both of them disappeared. Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Only you, Gai.." he muttered before he raced after them. _

"What?! How did you beat Kakashi-Sensei?!" Naruto yells.

"Easy. I'm stronger than Kakashi." Gai says "And faster." A part of me disagrees with Gai being stronger..though he is probably faster than my brother.

"You see? Gai-Sensei is the best there is!" Lee says.

"I'm sorry for the trouble we've caused you. Look into my eyes and accept my sincere apology..also notice my handsome manly features." Gai says, staring intently at Sasuke. I try and bite my lip to keep from laughing, but it's no use. A few chuckles escape anyways. "Lee, you should accompany these fine young ninja to the classroom. Right now." Gai throws a kunai at the little windmill pinning Lee's bandage to the wall, and as he wraps the long white strip back around his arm, I notice the scars all across his knuckles and the back of his hand, sighing softly. "Remember to give it your best. Lee, farewell. And Amedoru, it's good to see you again." Gai smiles before he and the turtle disappears in a cloud of smoke.

"Woah!" Naruto shouts.

"Hey..Sasuke" Lee says as soon as he's finished wrapping up his bandages. "I lied to you when we were fighting. I did want to test my abilities, but you are not the one I want to test them on. I lied when I said I was the top Genin here. But the truth is that there is another, a ninja who is on my own team." Bitter, milky eyes pop into my mind. "I came here to defeat him. You were just practice. But now, you are a target..and I will crush you." Lee says. Sasuke scowls angrily. "There you have it. Consider yourself warned." Lee takes a couple steps towards me before he grabs the back of my head with his hand and plants a quick kiss on top of it. "It really is great to see you, Amedoru." he says before he takes off through the door.

"Oh Sasuke.." Sakura sighs heavily as I walk back over towards my teammates. Naruto puts his hands on top of his head.

"Hmph. Looks like the Uchiha Clan isn't so great after all."

"Why you..Naruto!" Sakura yells.

"Just shut up!" Sasuke growls. His whole body's shaking, and his teeth are bared. "Next time I'll drive him to his knees!" he growls.

"There you go again with your self-righteous pride." I snap, and all three of my teammates look at me with surprised faces. I take a breath. I wasn't even planning on saying that at all.

"Did you see his hand when he took off the tape?" Naruto asks after a second. "I bet old Bushy Brow's been training till he drops."

"You're completely right." I say. "Ro-Lee is one of the most dedicated, passionate ninja I know. You have no idea how hard he works, how hard he pushes himself." I shoot a look at Sasuke, and his eyes flicker to the side. "He reminds me of you, Naruto." I say, and his arms drop from his head slowly.

"Amedoru.."

"Well things just got interesting." Sasuke says after a long moment. "The Chunin Exams..can't wait to see what's next."

"Right." Naruto says as he and Sakura smile. I nod my head, and a small smirk curves the corner of my mouth upwards, kinda like Shikamaru's.

"Let's get started. Naruto!, Amedoru!, Sakura!"

Naruto throws a fist into the air with a loud whoop, and the four of us walk through the door with a new confidence.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"Kakashi, where are we going?" A small Amedoru asked, looking up at her brother's face,_

_"We're going to see a very good friend of mine." he said._

_The two of them walked up the short path that led to a long, wooden house. Two people sat on the porch, though they sprung up as soon as Kakashi and Amedoru came into view. The older man hopped down from the porch and walked up to Kakashi, grabbing his shoulder. _

_"Thanks again, Gai." Kakashi said. Gai waved his hand before squatting down in front of the little girl._

_"Well you must be the little Hatake. My name's Gai." he said, holding out his hand. Amedoru reached her's out a bit hesitantly and grabbed Gai's hand in hers, shaking it. A boy a little bit older than Ame ran down the path towards them._

_"Gai-Sensei!" _

_Kakashi hummed to himself, looking from the boy to Gai. "So this is your student then? The little boy you spoke of earlier?" _

_"Ah yes" Gai said with a smile as the boy came to a stop beside him. "This is my student, Lee. Lee, this is Amedoru Hatake, Kakashi's sister." _

_"Hello" the boy said shyly, waving at her. Amedoru smiled._

_"Hey."_

_Kakashi put his hand on Amedoru's shoulder and squat down so that he was facing her. "I have to leave for the mission now, Ame. But Gai here is going to take good care of you for me until I get back, okay?" He leaned in closer and whispered in her ear "He's kind of strange, but I think you'll like him. Lee too." He pulled his head back and moved his hand from her shoulder to the top of her head. "I'll be back." he said, ruffling her hair softly. _

_Despite the worried feeling in her stomach, Amedoru gave a small smile and watched her brother lift his Anbu mask to his face before his body faded a little and disappeared completely. Lee walked in front of her._

_"Would you like to play with me later?" _

_"Sure" _

_The both of them smiled, completely comfortable around each other now. An arm swung out and scooped the both of them from the ground. "Alright, kids. How about we go eat something first?" Gai said as Lee and Ame laughed. Kakashi was right. Amedoru liked Gai and Lee already. _


	14. The Chunin Exams Begin! Faces,New&Old

As we come around a corner, Naruto's cheering stops abruptly. Room "301" is just up ahead..with my brother standing right next to the door. He stares at us a moment before saying in a relieved, knowing voice "Glad you made it. I'm glad each of you came, not only for your own sake, but for each other's as well" We all give quick looks at each other. "Now you can formally register yourselves for the Chunin Exams."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asks.

"Yeah..what would happen if one of us didn't show up?" I add.

"You see, only groups of three are allowed to apply for and take the exam, that's the way it's always been. However, this team in particular is..special. There are four members instead of the traditional three."

"But Sensei, you said the choice to register was completely optional." Sakura says.

"That's right, I did."

"Well..was that a lie?"

Kakashi shrugs. "Sort've. It's an individual decision, but it affects all of you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want any one of you pressuring the other to register." I let out an "Ah." while Naruto makes a noise and nods his head once in agreement. "At the same time," my brother continues, " I didn't want you to feel obliged to participate because of any feelings you might have for Sasuke..and the other's, Sakura. I wanted this to be of your own, free will. " Kakashi says, eyeing her. She glances over at Sasuke before her eyes fly to the ground, streaks of red color her cheeks.

"So if Sasuke, Naruto, and I showed up, but Sakura didn't, then that means-"

"I couldn't let the three of you in without her." Kakashi finishes for me. "But it's a mute point. All of you showed up for the right reasons. Sakura..Naruto..Sasuke..and Amedoru." he says, looking at each of us individually. All of us smile back in return.

"I'm proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better team. Good luck." He gives us all an eye-smile and steps away from the door, and my heart clenches tightly from both disappointment and happiness. He's speaking to us as one, as a team, but nonetheless..it's a step closer to hearing what I've been wanting to hear my whole life. Sasuke and Sakura walk ahead of Naruto and I and push the doors open for us.

"We won't let ya down, Sensei." Naruto says before he walks through the illuminated doorway. I follow behind him, and with one foot in the door turn around with a soft smile and wave to my brother. It reminds me of when I was a little kid waving goodbye to Kakashi after he dropped me off at the academy. The last thing I see before the door shuts all the way is his reassuring, warm look.

* * *

I come to a jerky halt as soon as I turn my head away from the door, coming face to face with the massive gathering of people.

"..woah." Naruto let's out.

"Gee, I guess we really aren't alone." Sakura gulps nervously.

"Um, is anyone else feelin' kinda warm?" I ask, pulling back the collar of my shirt with two fingers. A sea of faces..of _grown _faces stare us all down, sizing us up. A few snort and turn away, but other's hold their eyes firm. One guy even cracks his knuckles.

"I had no idea there'd be this much competition." Sakura says in a dazed voice. The air around me continues to grow even warmer. I lift my eyes from all the intimidating faces to the headbands fastened around their foreheads. Hidden Sand..Hidden Mist..Hidden Leaf. I think there's even a few that might be from the Hidden Sound. The rest though..well I have no idea where the rest of these people are from. The markings on their headbands are completely foreign to me. To think that all these people are here in the village just to take these Exams.. who knows what kind of Jutsu are in their arsenal..

"Sasuke! Where've ya been?!" A feminine voice shrieks. Sasuke lets out a surprised cry, and I whip my head to the side in alarm. Ino's latched onto his back with her arms around his neck. A crooked smile breaks out on my face. If Ino's here, then Shikamaru's gotta be close by. I lean back and look around Sasuke and Ino just as she and Sakura start arguing. As soon as Shikamaru comes into view, a big wave of comfort washes over me. He walks towards our group with his hands shoved in his pockets. Choji follows beside him, munching on a bag of chips. I step around Ino and meet them halfway. Shikamaru smiles when he see's me.

"Amedoru, thank goodness." he says, bumping his shoulder against mine.

"I'm glad to see you too. Hey Choji" I add with a wave. His only response is a guttural grunt followed by a head-nod.

"At first I thought we were gunna be the only Rookie Team here." Shikamaru leans in closer and whispers in my ear. "All these people in here give me the creeps."

I pull away and nod my head before tugging on my shirt collar quickly, making Shikamaru chuckle. Naruto comes up beside me. "I knew this was gunna be a drag, but I didn't know it was gunna be this lame." Shikamaru says, sweeping over the sea of people in front of us.

"So.. all three stooges are here." Naruto says with half his mouth curved upwards, and I bring a hand up to rest on the back of my neck. Three Stooges, huh? Only Naruto..

" Hey, you know what Pipsqueak? ..awh forget it, you're a waste of time." Shikamaru says in a gruff voice, and I stifle my laughter." A different set of footsteps approach us, and when Kiba, Shino, and Hinata come to a stop in front of us, I wave to Hinata who's half-hidden behind Kiba. She raises up a little higher and waves back at me, and I smile. Hinata and I don't talk much, or even hang out for that matter, but I still consider her a friend nonetheless. I look past her and into the sea of people again. I wonder where Lee is..and Gaara.

"Well well, whattya know? The whole gang's back together again." Kiba says in an amused voice.

"And this time you don't gotta worry about giving Shikamaru and I "it's all clear" signals." I say, and he laughs, gravelly and short.

"Oh uh..hey Naruto." Hinata says with a shy, hopeful face as she peeks even further around Kiba. Naruto looks up with a "Hm?", and I internally palm-smack myself. Hinata's face falls as it flushes, and she stares at the ground.

"You guys too, huh? Man everyone's here for this stupid thing" Shikamaru says, and I give him an understanding look. He's probably thinking about all the competition and the stress that comes with it. Shikamaru's reminds me all too often of the clouds we spend so much time watching-he can't be restrained, forced, stressed, or anything of the sort. He has to be free to move along.

"Yep. Here we are, the nine rookies. Er..ten actually." Kiba says, shooting me a look. "This is gunna be fun" he continues with a chuckle. "At least for those of us good enough to make the cut. Right Sasuke?" he asks as he eyes him. Sasuke snorts under his breath with a wry smile.

"Kiba. Careful not to get too over-confident." That coming from Sasuke is pretty ironic. Kiba responds with a snort of his own, and Shikamaru and I share a look. Despite what Sasuke said, Kiba's ego has always been pretty high.

"We're gunna blow you guys away, just wait. We've been training like crazy."

"What do you think we've been doin? Sittin' around pickin' daisies? You don't know what training means!" Naruto yells with a pointed finger.

"Um, don't mind Kiba" Hinata pipes up as her fingers press against each other repeatedly, "I'm sure he didn't really mean anything by it."

"Huh?" Naruto asks a bit gruffly, and I sigh.

"Naruto.."

"What's wrong?" he asks, looking from Hinata to me. I shake my head at him and he returns his attention back to Kiba, who looks over at Hinata with a questioning look on his face. Choji's hand, I notice, pulls out of his bag of chips slowly, and he makes his way towards Kiba. Shino moves in front of him before Choji can take another step.

"Hm? What do you want?" Choji asks. "What's wrong?" he asks again when Shino doesn't respond. His eyes, though hidden by his black shades, are staring intensely at the ground, and Shikamaru looks at me with a raised eyebrow. A small black dot moves at a quick pace towards Shino's foot, and I gesture down to it.

"Thought you didn't see it." Shino says. "Didn't want you steppin' on it."

"Why? You saving it for lunch or something?" Choji asks. Shino doesn't say a word, but Shikamaru leans forward a little, like he's anticipating something.

"Hey guys." A voice calls over to us, and we all turn our heads to the side. A man with grey hair and big ,circle framed glasses approaches us. "You might wanna keep it down. I mean , no offence, but you're the ten rookies fresh outta the academy, right? I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves, this isn't a class field trip." He takes another step towards us, and to my surprise I take one step back. Shikamaru notices and gives me a worried look, questioning me with his eyes. I look at him before the man in front of us, wishing I could tell him that for some reason..something about him's not ..right." Shikamaru nods subtly and returns his eyes to the man, and ever so slowly they travel from his head down to his feet.

"Well who the heck asked you anyways?" Ino asks. "Who are you?"

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. But really, look around you. You've made quite the impression." he says, and all of us spin around. The massive gathering of people who were either sitting down or leaning against the wall when we first walked in are now on their feet, eyeing us with a more hardened glare. I turn around fully to the other side with everyone else following, and Sakura lets out the uncomfortable noise I can't seem to force out. These ninja looking at us in particular are just plain creepy. For a second all I see is the whites of their eyes until I blink. "You see those guys? They're from the Hidden Sound Village, very touchy. They all are, come to think of it. This exam has everyone tense..and you don't want to rub them the wrong way when they're like that." Kabuto says. And though it sounds like he's trying to help us, it's a bit strange how he just showed up out of the blue with all this confidence. "But you can't help it", he continues, " I mean how could you know how things work? You're just kids, rookies. You remind me of myself a while back."

"It sounds like you have a lot of experience when it comes to stuff like this." I say, eyeing him.

"You're right about that. This is actually my seventh time taking the exams." he says, and my eyebrows raise. Shikamaru lets out a noise from beside me.

"These are held twice a year, so this'll actually be my fourth year." A dry lump begins forming in the back of my throat. These exams are probably worse than I thought..

"Wow, a veteran!." Sakura gasps. "You must be an expert by now."

"Yeah, sort've." Kabuto says in a light tone.

"Cool! That means you can give us inside tips!." Naruto says with a grin.

"Yeah, some expert..he's never passed." I agree with Shikamaru. Kabuto scratches the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, uh..seventh time's the charm, right?"

"So I guess all those rumors about the exams bein' tough are true then. Oh man, I knew this was gunna be a drag." Shikamaru lets out a worried sigh, and I look over at him.

"You can't leave by door without walking through it first. We'll get through this... shoot, we'll probably end up laughing about it later on." I say as I wrap an arm around his shoulders with one big squeeze before I return my arm to my side. He looks from the ground up at me a moment before he nods with a small smile on his face.

"Thanks, Amedoru."

" I think I just might be able to help you kids out a little." Kabuto says with a smug smile on his face. His hand digs around in his side- pouch and pulls out-

"These are my ninja-info cards." He says. Something glints in his eyes. If those are what I think they are..how does he even have them?

"What are those?" Sakura asks.

"Well it's kinda hard to explain. These cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." Kabuto kneels on the ground and places the deck of cards at his feet. "I've got over two hundred of them. So you see, I haven't been wasting my time. Not completely, that is. They may not look like much to the naked eye,in fact, they appear blank." he says as he flips one over. Sure enough, the backside of the card doesn't have a single mark on it. "Wouldn't want just anyone looking' through these after all." Kabuto places two fingers on the card and begins twirling it around in a circle.

"What the.." I begin.

"I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets..like this." Kabuto says before he holds his other hand up to form a sign. A brief moment passes before the card stops spinning. A poof of gray smoke appears on top of it, and when it clears away quickly the image of a map appears. Several village signs are drawn on the bottom.

"Awesome!" Sakura says "What's that a map of?" she asks.

"It's the geographical distribution of all the candidates here for the exam." Kabuto says excitedly. "What villages they come from, and what that village's population is." Looking at the card's like looking at a weapon. It's definately something that can be used against other villages. This Kabuto guy is getting stranger by the minute. "Why do you guys think everyone comes here at the same time?" he asks, looking up at us. Choji keeps munching away on his bag of chips. "It's the foster-friendship between nations, of course." Kabuto says. "Foster" friendship?

"But there's another reason." Sasuke states.

"Yeah. The important is that this way, they can carefully regulate the total number of Shinobi that end up in each village, thereby maintaining the balance of power. If the balance isn't maintained, one nation could end up with more Shinobi than it's neighbors. To prevent attacks they maintain the status quo. Makes sense when you think about it "

"Oh yeah..balance of power." Naruto says as he crosses his arms. Hm..regardless, how did Kabuto even get these? Could he have made them on his own?

"So do these cards of yours have any info on the candidates?" Sasuke asks, taking a step forward. "Individually?"

"I might." Kabuto says. How'd he even get the information? By stalking? Stealing? " You have someone special in mind?" I watch Sasuke carefully, noticing how his eyes narrow into near-slits. Robin's egg eyes flash in my mind.

"I might." Sasuke says as Kabuto places the card back into his deck and pats it back into order.

"My information is not complete yet, but I have something on just about everyone. Including you guys, of course. Just tell me who it is."

A cold shiver crawls down my back. How is that even possible?

"It's Gaara of the Desert." Sasuke says, confirming my suspicion. "And Rock Lee of the Leaf Village, while you're at it."

"Okay, wait a minute. How do you even have information on us?" I ask. Everyone eyes me, even Sasuke. A few others, like Shikamaru, cross their arms and eye Kabuto skeptically, waiting for an answer.

He just shrugs with a small smirk on his lips. "I have my sources."

"Well don't you think giving away other people's information like this is, I don't know, wrong? You have all this information on different Shinobi, and from the sound of it, it's like you've been doing this kind of thing for a long time. How come you haven't passed the exam yet, then?" I ask, and everyone casts their eyes to the ground, thinking. Shikamaru makes an uneasy humming noise beside me. The look in Kabuto's eyes are hard..but it gradually relaxes and his lips curve up in a loose smile as he shrugs again.

"Maybe I just lack skills or something. As for your earlier question..well, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" I have one more question for him: Why is he so willing to help us? But before I can ask him he sweeps his hand over the deck, pulling out two separate cards. "Here they are." he says.

"Show them to me." Sasuke says, and I look at him again, at the almost-mad look in his eyes. The way his voice sounded just now...it was filled with hunger.

"Alright. First up is Rock Lee." I push my way up to the front and squeeze in next to Sasuke with Shikamaru right beside me. This has gone too far. I'm not letting Sasuke get the upper hand on Ro-Lee like this. Just as Kabuto begins listing off the facts written on the card, I slam a foot down onto it, making Naruto jump. Kabuto looks up at me with raised eyebrows.

"That's enough." I spit, not even bothering to try and hide my anger. I meet Sasuke's hard stare. " This your plan? Get the details off some guy so you can get the upper hand on Lee if you have to fight him?" Sasuke doesn't say anything, but the hard look in his eyes intensifies. "That's just wrong, Sasuke. It's wrong on so many levels. If you really wanna win? Do it on your own, not like this." Sasuke's the first to break eye contact, and he snorts aloud before looking down at Kabuto who coughs uncomfortably. I take my foot off Lee's card and Kabuto hides it form our sight again. Shikamaru places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze, and when I look over at him the look in his eyes tells me he understands.

"Gaara of the Desert.." Kabuto says, laying down another card. I shake my head and walk back to the very end of the group with Shikamaru's hand still on my shoulder. Kabuto's voice carries on, and I try my best to block him out. Though his last sentance grabs my attention: " He went on one "B" ranked mission as a Genin..and made it out without a single scratch on him. Come to think of it, all his missions went like that." Shikamaru and I share a look.

"He went on a "B" ranked mission without a single scratch?" he asks.

"What's the deal with this guy?" Naruto asks from the front. Kabuto shuffles the cards around in his hands and goes on about how big the competition is this year, and how much potential all of us in this room possess. Naruto hunches over suddenly and begins trembling, and I crane my head around Kiba to get a better look at him. I take a step forward to go see if he's okay when he whips around with a loud yell so suddenly I almost fall backwards on Shikamaru. With a hand on his hip and a outstretched pointed finger, Naruto faces all the other Shinobi in the room with a carefree grin.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gunna beat every one of ya! Beeelive it!" Shikamaru sighs next to me, but I just chuckle softly. "Yeah! I feel a lot better now!" Naruto finishes as he folds his hands behind his head.

"Uh, could you say that a little louder?" Kiba asks from behind his hand in a mocking voice. "I didn't quite catch it."

"You moron. Are you trying to get everyone in here to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru says. Naruto just laughs it all off. A pink blur leaps onto him, and I race over to them, plowing a path through our smallish group.

"Naruto, you jackass!"

"Easy Sakura!" I yell, trying to pull her off Naruto's back, though it's extremely hard since the both of them are flailing all over the place. When Naruto starts gagging I bear hug Sakura from behind and try to pry her arms from around his neck.

"Uh..uh..Sakura! You're embarrassing yourself in front of Sasuke!" I say in a rush, and her whole body becomes still. I take a step back from her as she disentangles her arms from around Naruto's neck. She faces the crowd of people and begins apologizing in a rush before turning back to Naruto, growling in his face. All of a sudden two kunai embed themselves in the ground, and Kabuto slides backwards until he's against the wall. A ninja with something big and furry on his back takes a swing at him, but Kabuto ducks just in time. What the heck's goin on? Someone walks up quickly beside me, and when I look over to the side I see it's just Shikamaru with slightly wide eyes. Kabuto smirks before both lenses of his glasses shatter into a thousand small fragments, all falling to the floor like little ice crystals.

"Oh, I see. It was that kind of an attack." he says with a small smirk. How the.. I look from Kabuto to the ninja who attacked him. He's wearing a Hidden Sound headband. Could that mean he used that in his attack somehow? Used Sound?

"Hey, I saw that. He dodged the attack." Sasuke says.

"Maybe it came closer than it looked. Look at him, acting like it's no big deal. Reeeal tough guy." Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

The smirk on Kabuto's face grows..until his body cranes backwards some. He gasps before falling down on all fours, and his body lurches forward as he vomits onto the ground. All of us take a step back.

"Kabuto what is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asks worriedly. She and Naruto rush towards him and grab his arms, helping him to lean back a little.

"Write this on your stupid little cards." One of the Sound-Ninja says. "The Genin from the Hidden Sound are gunna be Chunin by the time this is over."

Naruto's mouth quivers as he bears his teeth and leans forward, and I beg him with all my mental strength not to say anything. These Sound-Ninja and their attacks..I've never seen anything like it before. I don't think anyone of us have.

"Alright you baby-faced degenerates!" A rough voice barks out as smoke fills the room. "Pipe down and listen up!" The smoke clears, and a large group of ninja- Jounin instructors, I think, take it's place. "It's time to begin." the one in the very front says. "My name is Ibiki Moreno, your proctor. And from this moment, your worst enemy." Shikamaru looks at me, and I look at him. And at the same time, we both try and swallow, the gulping noise that accompanies it seems to bounce off the walls. "First, you Genin from the Hidden Leaf and from the Sound-knock it off! Who told you you could fight? Do you want to be failed before we've even begun?! I'll say this once so listen up. There will be no combat between candidates without the permission of a proctor. And even then any fatal forces will be prohibited." Proctor Moreno sweeps his eyes over us all, his look sharp and strong. "Anyone who even thinks of crossing me will be disqualified immediately, got it?" No one replies, except for one of the Sound Ninja, but the proctor ignores it. The Jounin behind him, though, snicker to themselves. " Alrighty, we'll proceed with the first stage of the Chunin Exam. Hand over your paperwork. In return you'll each be given a number, which determines where you will sit. Once you're all seated, the written test will begin."

So one of my hunches was right..

Naruto's face scrunches up as he looks at me. "Wr-written? Did he just say written?" A couple of the proctors pass a big stack of papers to each other down the small line they created. "NOO, NOT A WRITTEN TEST!" Naruto yells, slamming his hands onto the floor. The proctors all stare at Naruto, some with raised eyebrows, the others with scowls. Naruto looks at me again and I move my hand into a "breathe in, breath out" motion, smiling reassuringly after he takes a nice, deep breath. Proctor Moreno orders us into one long line. As soon as Shikamaru and I get our numbers, we compare them quickly before we walk inside the classroom. His reads " 34" and mine says "35". I sigh in relief.

"These are our new lucky numbers." Shikamaru whispers over to me as we sit down.

"Lucky numbers, lucky seats." I say, and he laughs. Looking up from the blank piece of paper in front of me, I raise myself a little higher to try and see where Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are sitting. I can't spot Sasuke, but Naruto's sitting a few rows up from me with Sakura a couple rows behind him. I can hear his groan from where I'm sitting, and I cup a hand over my mouth.

"Naruto!"

his whole body jerks up as his head twists around. "Down here" I say, and when he sees me his eyes fill with anxiety. I make the "breathe in, breathe out" hand motion again, and mouth it to him too. He slams both hands palm down on his desk and inhales deeply, and I give him a thumbs up. Hinata says something to Naruto from her place right next to him, and I twist back around in my seat with a smile.

"Okay everyone, eyes up here." the proctor says, tapping a piece of chalk against the board. "There are some rules you need to follow, and you'd better pay attention because I'm not answerin' any questions later. His back faces us as he scribbles on the board, all the while explaining the rules to us.

Rule Number 1: We all begin the test with a perfect score, though for every question answered wrong it's a one point deduction.

Rule Number 2: We pass or fail based on the overall score average of the rest of our squad-mates.

Rule Number 3: If any one of us gets caught cheating, it's all over. There are Jounin Ninja stationed all around the room, watching us. And for every gesture, for every look that, in their eyes, counts as cheating, it's two points counted off the culprit score. Oh, and we all get five warnings each. If someone reaches the fifth, they have to leave the room before they finish the test along with the rest of their team.

"The eyes around here are not to be underestimated whatsoever. If you want to be called Shinobi, then prove it. Oh, and one more thing." our proctor says. "If anyone scores a zero on the test, then the whole team fails."

"WHAT?! WHAT'D HE SAY?!" Sakura shouts, and I lean back further into my chair. So far this whole thing isn't looking so hot..

" The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the test. You have one hour total.."

"Amedoru." Shikamaru whispers over to me, and I glance up at him from the corner of my eye.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck."

"You too, Shikamaru. Thanks."

"Alright! Begin!" The proctor says, and the sound of pencils scribbling on paper fills up most of the silence. Alright, It's time to do this. I scan over all the questions on the sheet to try and see if there are any I can answer right now, but there are none. The wording is kinda confusing. I'ts fine reading over it for the first time, but when I try and re-read it, words that didn't bother me before stick out and don't make much sense like they did the first time. What's the first question again? My eyes rake upwards... there it is. I think I have to crack some kind of code..but it looks more like a mini-maze. I wish I can look at something other than the piece of paper in front of me, but the instructors seated next to me will think I'm cheating. My thumb brushes against the paper and leaves a reddish-brown smear. I really need to stop picking at my fingers. I close my eyes for a second, and when they open they immediately focus on a random problem.

_What are the chances of the Copy-Cat Ninja's sister sleepwalking again without getting caught? Also keep in mind that the frequent voices she hears in her sleep might or might not be the main cause of this._

I sit up straighter in my seat and bring the paper closer to my face, reading it over again. There's no way..it's gotta be all in my head.

_What is the trajectory of the shuriken when thrown from an angle of.._

But what brought it on?

After rubbing my eyes, I focus again on the paper. No weird questions are written on it..it was all in my head. These questions on the paper call for a straightforward answer, but that's impossible. I have only one other option, but..

"_A ninja must always see through deceptions." _my brother's voice echoes softly in my head, followed by what I said to Naruto before about Kakashi's rope trap. "_If you go for the easy stuff every time, you'll only end up upside-down." _It all makes sense now. I have to cheat..as wrong as it sounds. Shikamaru sneezes next to me, his foot kicking mine in the process. When I glance down at the floor I see a tiny square piece of paper resting on the ground. I cover most of it with my foot.

"_Don't know who to copy from or how to do it. Any ideas?" _it says much to my surprise. Shikamaru's usually always got a plan up his sleeve. This test is probably getting to him too._  
_

I shake my head to the side subtly when a kunai whizzes through the air and embeds itself in a desk with a dull thunk a few rows behind me. Two instructors drag out the guy who got caught along with his two other teammates, much to their protest. When things settle down again, I untie my headband and place it down next to my arm on my desk, making sure to press my fingers lightly onto my forehead and rub the area in small circles. Hopefully to the instructors it'll look like I took my headband off only because I have a "headache". Shikamaru's trying really hard not to laugh right now. The person right behind me has their pencil going, and it's from their paper's reflection on my headband that I get my answers. I give Shikamaru a quick look, and he smiles at me as he rests his hands on-top his head. He waits a moment before staring at his headband fastened around his arm so he can memorize the answers before waiting another moment to copy them to his paper. The instructors begin calling out even more numbers, and it's like a different team leaves every minute or so.

"Alright, listen up." our proctor says, " Here's the tenth and final question.." I forgot all about that. I wonder what curve-ball they're gunna throw us now.. "But before I give it to you, there are some more rules you need to be aware of. They are unique to question ten so listen carefully..and try not to let them frighten you.."

Rule Number 1: It is completely up to us to make the final decision of whether or not we want to be given question ten. Although if someone chooses not to answer the last question they get a zero despite what they scored on the first nine questions. In short, if I decide not to answer the question, I get my teammates and myself failed.

"Let me finish" the proctor says in response to everyone's different responses."If you do decide to answer this question, but you get it wrong, not only will you an dteammates fail..you will never be allowed to take the Chunin Exams ever again!." This creates a domino effect of gasping. Shikamaru sighs and crosses his arms.

"What a drag.."

More blood coats the tip of my thumb, and when I glance down my index pulls away from my thumb, leaving behind a bloody, peeled mess.

"Hey man that's bull! That's such a bogus rule! I mean, come on, there are lots of people here who've taken the test before." Kiba shouts, and Akamaru adds his own input in in the form of a bark.

"I guess you're just..unlucky" Proctor Moreno laughs darkly. " I wasn't making the rules before. But I am now. Of course, if you don't wanna take it, you don't have to. After all, if your not comfortable with it now you can just come back and try again next year." the proctor paces back and forth in front of slowly, chuckling to himself.

So to review, this choice is completely up to me, though if I choose not to answer, I get a zero and fail not only myself, but my team as well. On the other hand, I could choose to go ahead and answer this question, but if I answer it incorrectly I still fail. What's the endgame here? I ask myself. It would have to be failing-both options can end that way if things go sour. I think back earlier today . Kakashi was glad that all of us showed up to room "301". He had said that registering was an individual choice, but it affected all of us in turn. Is it even possible that my brother knew about the tenth question then? Maybe he was trying to give us all a hint or something..

"It's time for the tenth and final question. For those of you who don't wanna take it raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and you'll be free to go."

I'm staring at my arm like it's going to raise up on it's own, even though I know for certain that I'm going to just take the question and hope for the best. There's no way I'm getting my teammates and I failed. I wonder what everyone else is thinking..Shikamaru..Lee..my teammates. The first person to raise their hand causes a chain reaction. I peek over my shoulder and see Naruto with his head ducked low, his whole body shaking.

"Naruto, I know you've been thinking about it all, but no matter what you do I'll have your back one hundred percent." I say softly, though I know he can hear me. Inside though, there's a part of me that wants Naruto to keep his arm down. He could end up getting the question right, who knows? Then he'll be a step closer to becoming a Chunin..which is a step closer towards becoming Hokage-his dream. After a moment he lifts his head up enough for me to see his face. He nods and gives me a look before his arm raises shakily into the air.

"He really serious?" Shikamaru asks me quietly, looking back at Naruto

"I'm not sure exactly. If he is though, I won't blame him."

"Me either. "

Naruto's hand continues shaking lightly above his head..but after a very long moment he slams it down hard onto his desk. His fiery blue eyes snap open. "Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can act tough all you want, you guys aren't gunna scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as being a Genin for the rest of my life." He shoots up out of his chair. "I'll still be Hokage some day!" He stares down our proctor before he plops back down into his seat, crossing his arms and letting out a frustrated huff. Naruto, I'm proud of you, I think to myself.

"This is a decision that could change your life. If for any reason you wanna quit, now's your last chance." the proctor says.

"No way, I never go back on my word. That's the way of the Ninja." Naruto says firmly, and I smile at him, just like the rest of us left in this room. The proctors eyes scan over each and every one of us, lingering, waiting for one of us to crack. When his eyes land on me, I just pick up my headband from the desk and retie it on my forehead, making sure that it's crooked..er, tilted downwards a bit just the way I like it. With a final sweep over the rest of us in the room, Proctor Moreno gives a firm nod.

"Right then. I must say that I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining, there's only one thing left to do. And that's for me to tell you..that you've all passed the first exam." Someone's pencil clatters against a desktop, and a chair groans against the floor as it's pushed back.

"Hold on, what do you mean we passed?! Where;s the tenth question?!" Sakura asks. Proctor Moreno's eyes curve down into two half-moons as he laughs heartily. A big difference form the dark laughter he gave us throughout his whole thing.

"There was never a tenth question in the first place." he says. "Not a real one, at least. In fact, your answer to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait, so those other nine questions you gave us were just a waste of time?" the Sand-Ninja girl asks angrily.

"No, no, not at all. Quite the opposite, actually. The first nine questions had a special purpose-to test your ability to strategically gather information under the most strenuous of circumstances. My objective was to test you as a team and how well you function as one instead of as individuals. That's why the test was scored on a team basis-every personal decision affected your teammates. I wanted to see how you handled the pressure."

"I think you just gave "thinking outside the box" a new meaning" I say.

"This test was designed to encourage cheating. And those who were caught, failed. Better not to cheat, than cheat clumsily." Proctor Moreno says, as he removes his headband and the cap-like blue cloth attached to it. My mouth opens before shutting abruptly at the sight of the marred, scabby skin covering the entire top of his head. From the look of it, Proctor Moreno's been to hell and back. "Information. Our most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather it can determine whether you pass or fail your mission." the proctor continues. " You just have to risk your life to get it. Although you do have to consider the source of that information first. Intelligence gathered from an enemy is not necessarily accurate. Dis-information can be worse than absolutely no information-keep that in mind. It can lead to death and destruction. That's why I put you in the position where you had to gather information..cheat..in order to survive. The ones who weren't good enough at it were weeded out-leaving the rest of you."

"..there will be many mission that will feel like suicide missions, but you do not think of that. You think only of the goal, of completing the mission with courage and discipline ." the proctor continues after explaining more about the tenth question. "These are the qualities required of a Chunin squad leader. Those who choose the safer of two paths, those who's determination falters in the face of danger, those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own..those who would save their necks at the price of their own, sacred honor will never be able to call themselves Chunin. As for the rest of you, you've successfully answered the ten questions I gave to you. Therefore earning the right to continue on with the next step. You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this part of the Chunin Exams completed. There's nothing left but to wish you all good luck."

Naruto leaps up onto his chair and starts cheering, and Shikamaru and I bump our fists together before he collapses back in his chair with a big sigh.

"Amedoru, that whole using our headbands thing saved my skin. Thank you." he says, opening one of his eyes.

Before I get the chance to say anything, though, something crashes through the window, and several kunai embed themselves in the walls.

"Is this part of the test?!" Naruto asks, his voice raising in pitch just a little. Proctor Moreno doesn't answer him. His back faces us as he stares at the big wall of cloth with white writing on it. Someone leaps up from behind it.

"Hey now this is no time to be celebrating, boys and girls. I'll be your next proctor. Anko Miburashi" a woman..wearing very revealing clothing says, jabbing a thumb at herself. "Ready for the second test? Good! Lets go, follow me!" she yells, not even pausing between her sentences.

"Your early." Proctor Moreno says. Anko blushes before looking out at all of us.

"You really let all these kids pass? Your tests must be too easy. You must be getting soft.'

"Or maybe its because we have a stronger group of candidates this year."

"Hm" Anko hums. 'Well you just wait. By the time I'm through with them more than half will be eliminated." Shikamaru slowly slides upwards in his seat.

"Alright maggots, listen up. You've had it far too easy so far but things'll change first thing in the morning. I'll tell your squad leaders where to meet me. Dismissed." I let out a startled 'Woah!" when Shikamaru practically snatches me from my seat and dashes us both out the door.

* * *

"Heh..nice place" Naruto mutters as he shifts on his other foot uneasily. I look first to the small watchtower holding three or four instructors, then over to the chained up fence separating us from a forest I've never seen before.

"Welcome to the location of the second phase of the exams. They call this place Battle Mission Training Ground Number Forty-Four, but I call it the "Forest of Death" Anko says with a sickly smile. Last night before I went to bed, I asked Kakashi if he knew where Anko was having us all meet her at. He told me he couldn't tell me just yet, but had grabbed both of my shoulders in his hands and looked at me right in the eyes.

"Tomorrow Amedoru..just be careful."


	15. TheChunin Exams Pt2:Rumble In The Forest

**_Thank you so much to Soren Tamazki for your support and the wonderful reviews. I appreciate it! ~Lastoftheamericandreamers_**

* * *

___Kakashi peeked his head in the doorway of Amedoru's room, and as soon as he took in the sight of his sister turned over on her side sleeping soundly, his anxious body relaxed. He had been checking on Amedoru more frequently through the nights ever since she told him about waking up in the forest. So far nothing of the sort had happened again._ He watched her a moment more before he sighed softly and pulled his head away, leaning against the wall outside her door. It was decided by the Hokage that all Jounin squad leaders keep the location and any knowledge of the next meeting place for the exams a secret. Kakashi had upheld that agreement..though inside all he wanted to do was sit Amedoru down and pre-warn her of all the things she would be facing. The most he could tell her, though, was to be careful, and the more Kakashi thought about it the more uneasy he became. Evil, nasty, and even frightening things were known to take place in the Forest Of Death. Amedoru's already proven that she can handle herself, heck, all of his squad had, Kakashi thought to himself. But nonetheless the Forest of Death is something that will be completely foreign to all of them. As a Sensei, Kakashi had faith that Squad 7 would push through the second phase, beat the forest..but as a big brother, all he could picture was his little Ame fighting for her life in a forest that could swallow her whole. A worried, heavy sigh pierced the silence again, but it did nothing to ease the heavy weight on his chest.

* * *

"This place sure creeps me out." Sakura says as she folds her hands and brings them up under her chin. I agree with her. Like Kabuto, something about this forest just isn't ..right.

"They don't call it the Forest of Death for nothing..and soon enough, you'll find out why." Anko says with a light chuckle. If Kakashi's ever been on, or ever has to go on a mission with Anko..I just hope he's at least a little wary towards her. I don't get the extreme off feeling from her like I do from Kabuto, but regardless, there's something about her. Naruto bends over a little and puts his hands on his hips, shaking his backside and mimicking Anko in a higher pitched voice.

"You don't scare me! I can handle anything!" he says in his normal voice.

"So we got ourselves a tough guy" Anko says in a teasing tone..before her kunai whizzes right past Naruto's cheek and she appears right behind him. The faint scent of blood brushes just beneath my nose "You tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid, are you?" Anko murmurs as she cups the side of Naruto's face in her hands.

To my surprise, something like a low growl rises up my throat. Sasuke eyes me while Sakura looks back and forth between Naruto and I with worried looks. Anko brushes her finger across the cut on Naruto's cheek, and I take a step forward before pausing with one foot lifted. Anko spins around quickly with a kunai at the ready.

"I was just returning this."

"Why thank you Grass Ninja." Anko says in a light tone, though her body posture is rigid. All of us close enough form a circle around her, Naruto, and the Grass Ninja. My fingers start twitching. I don't even know whether or not to reach for a weapon. The Grass Ninja's tongue elongates just a little farther towards Naruto so that is just barely touches his cut cheek. The one thing I'm certain of at this moment though is getting Naruto away from the both of them-Anko and the Grass Ninja.

"You know I recommend standing this close behind me only if you wanna reach a premature end." Anko says, yanking the kunai out of the Grass Ninja's tongue. A breath, low and long, leaves my mouth.

"My pardon." the Grass Ninja says. "With the sight of blood and your blade slicing through the air..I just became a little excited. I assure you..I meant you no harm."

"Naruto.." Hinata says in a scared voice. The Grass Ninja turns around and walks away. Even when she's gone from sight my heart won't stop racing. So far all the new people I've met are just plain freaky. I can't even image what they'd be like for an opponent.

"Looks like everyone here is quick-tempered..this should be fun." Anko turns around and walks back towards the fence, and I pull Naruto back with Sasuke, Sakura and I gently by his elbow. "Now before we begin, I have something to hand out." she pulls out a thick white packet from the inside of her trench coat, much to mine and everyone elses shock. "Just a standard consent form. Before the test all of you are going to have to read over this before you sign it."

"What's it for?" Naruto asks

"Some of you might not come back from this test. I need your consent to that risk. Otherwise it would be my responsibility." Anko laughs. "Ill explain what you guys will be doing during this test now. First, you need to know that this test will tax every one of you-your survival skills in particular." Naruto hands me a form and I scan through it. Have people really died in there? My eyes lift from the paper to the forest. " I'll give you all a description of the terrain on the practice field. This forest has forty-four locked entrance gates, complete with rivers and of course, lots of forest. There's a locked tower in the center located ten kilometers from each gate. It's in this training zone that you'll undergo the survival test. It consists of things..creatures you may never have seen before in your life...and anything goes during battle to get your hands on these scrolls." Anko holds them up in front of her. "You'll be fighting to get both a Heaven and Earth Scroll." she continues speaking when no one interrupts. "All together twenty-six teams will be participating. So half of those teams will be going after the Heaven Scroll while the other half tries to go for the Earth Scroll. I'll hand over one kind of scroll to each team."

"Alright..so how to we pass the test?" Sasuke asks.

"By bringing both scrolls to the tower."

"So half of us will fail then." Sakura says to herself.

"That means things inside are gunna get pretty nasty." I say, and Anko shrugs.

"No one said it'd be easy. And one more thing..the test has a time limit. You must finish it with five days."

Ino and Choji both start freaking out, but Shikamaru remains quiet. He's probably thinking the same as me .This won't be the first time the both of us spent some time in the forest. But unlike all those times before when it was just Shikamaru and I camped out in the trees, strange creatures and who knows what else are going to be camping right along with us..watching our every move, no doubt.

"..we'll have to keep a constant watch." Sasuke says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Right. This test also measures endurance behind enemy lines. It's designed to be a gruelling test, and I'm sure some of you won't be up to the challenge."

"So uh, let's say mid-exam." Shikamaru's voice pipes up all of a sudden. "Can we quit?"

My shoulders slump from both low laughter and the light sigh that leaves my mouth. To be honest, I was kind've waiting for him to ask that.

"Of course not!.." Anko carries on, and my laughter dies down as her answer sinks in. This isn't like the Academy..we can't make a mistake and then try to do it right later on. This is life or death. What if something happens to Shikamaru? To my team? I look at them all. Shikamaru and I are on different squads, and for once in our lives, we're pitted against each other. Just the thought is enough to form an aching weight on my chest.

"..there are also some ways to get disqualified. The first is simple, if all three members of a team can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after five days. In Squad Seven's case, that applies to all _four_ of you." Anko says, eyeing me. "Number two is if a team loses a member or if a member becomes incapacitated and cannot continue. But most important is that none of you, and I mean absolutely _none_ of you, may look at the contents of the scrolls until you've reached the tower."

"What if it just flaps open?" Naruto asks.

"I'll put it to you this way, young man. You. Don't. Want to. Know." Anko says. "There are times when a ninja will be asked to carry secret documents. The Scroll Rule is to test your integrity...and it looks like we're done. Each team, take your consent forms and exchange them over there for your scrolls." She points over to a small table set up behind a curtain with a couple instructors. "After that, each team pick a gate, and you'll be let inside. And one more word of advice..just don't die!"

* * *

All of us scatter, either walking around the field or sitting down on the light stubble of grass as we fill out our forms. Sasuke walks over and takes a seat with his back propped up against a giant boulder without a word, and Naruto and Sakura split off in opposite directions, the both of them hunched over eyeing their forms. For a moment I bring mine closer to my face, scanning over the words without really reading them before lowering it again. I look around at all the different faces around me, some I recognize, the others foreign. Kabuto turns his head just as my eyes land on him, and he gives me a small, twisted looking smile, bringing his hand up in a short wave. Thankfully he turns back around to his two other teammates before I can react. I find a tree thats farther out in the field, but close enough so the rusted fence is still in sight. The rigid bark that scrapes against my back through my shirt is a little comforting, despite its overall texture, and I cross my feet at the ankles. Soft footsteps walk up beside me, and Shikamaru plops down next to me and leans his back against the trunk.

"This test sure is something." he says, looking over towards the fence. "You know..I'm actually kind of ready for it, I guess. But a part of me's still scared."

"Why does it scare you?"

He thinks a moment, and a couple times his mouth opens quickly before it shuts. "Because if I screw up it's all over-literally. I don't want people getting hurt because of my mistakes. But its more than that, kinda. I can't really explain it..heck, I'm not even sure what it is.." his voice trails off.

I wish I can think of something to say, but when nothing comes I just scoot closer and lean against Shikamaru a little.

"How do you feel about it?" he asks.

"I feel like you do-scared. It's just the fact that we're all gunna be separated, ya know? When we were with Ibiki at the academy we were all one team even though we were waiting each other out. But now, we're all going to be against each other. People could die- You, Lee, my team..if something happens.."

Shikamaru puts a hand on my knee.

" We'll make it through together, just like you said before, right? Just like how it's always been."

"Right" I smile at him, and he gives a small smile back. A part of me feels bad that I couldn't offer any kind of verbal comfort to Shikamaru before, like he just did for me..but I think that's one of the things that makes our friendship so special. We don't have the kind where both of us constantly have to think of something to say, because we still understand even in the silence.

* * *

"Everyone! We're going to start handing out scrolls now!" one of the instructors calls from behind a curtain set up in front of the table. The both of us stand up and make our way over to the long line behind it.

"Thank you Shikamaru." I say just before he and I split up to be with our individual squads.

"Anytime" he says.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all turn around to face me when I walk up behind them, and before we all walk in under the curtain, Naruto and Sakura shoot me small smiles. We hand in our forms and one of the instructors hands Naruto a scroll-an Earth one, I think. He clenches it with his fist and brings it up closer to his face.

"Listen up! All teams now have their individual scrolls, so get to a gate and wait there. When it opens the test is on!" Anko yells out to all of us, and my team and I all stop in front of a random gate: Gate 12. I stare at the greenish-black foliage behind it while Naruto jabs at the air in front of him.

"Believe it! I dare you to bring it on, ninja! I'll just send it right back twice as hard!"

The instructor guarding our gate turns around and unlocks it, and the chains fall in a heap onto the ground. Naruto goes silent. He's probably holding his breath just like I am.

"Alright you maggots! The second part of the test has begun!" Anko's voice cuts through the clearing, and the instructor in front of our gate poofs away as it opens. I think of Kakashi all of a sudden before releasing my breath and following my teammates through the opening. The look he gave me just before the door shut back at the academy told me he had faith in me, and that's enough to move my feet and carry me through the entrance.

"Well alright! Here we go guys!" Naruto yells, giving me more hope. We can get through this, I know we can.

Soon the gate behind us fades away, and the deeper we walk into the forest the more different the lighting becomes. It's getting more of a greenish tint to it. Neither one of us says a word, and I use the silence to hone in on what should be a collection of sounds around us. But the only sound I hear are our footsteps. No chirping, rustling..nothing. This isn't right. Even if there are animals out here, and the sounds they're making are faint , I should still pick up on them. There should be-

"AAH!"

I whip around with Sakura and Sasuke following.

"That sounded like a scream." Sakura says. A big flock of birds rise up out of the treetops over in the distance, finally filling the air with birdsong..though it's shrill and terrified sounding. I haven't heard anything like it in a long time. "I don't like this place."

"Me either. And neither do they" I say, pointing up at the fading black cloud "We should have heard a flock as large as that as soon as we walked in, even if the sounds they made were faint."

"But we heard nothing, not even any other animal." Sasuke says, and I nod.

"What's that mean?" Naruto asks, and I watch as the flock disappears into the sky, black melting into blue.

"It means that something bigger is close by watching all of us. The other animals aren't making any noise because they're trying to hide from it." I say. Everything is silent again, and I lift my eyes to the treetops before scanning them over the bushes around us.

"Oh,well, it's nothin' to be scared about, it'll be a piece of cake!" Naruto says, folding his hands on-top his head. His eyes shoot open. "Well if you'll excuse me I really gotta pee." he rushes over to a nearby tree, and I look away. Sakura's yelling is followed by a loud thunk and the low sound of Naruto's whine. "Alright I'm goin already, yeesh!" he grumbles as he steps over a pile of bushes and disappears from our sight. After a couple minutes something rustles in the foliage, and Sasuke, Sakura, and I watch them anxiously.

"Man that was a lot!" Naruto's voice calls as he steps out from the bushes. My whole body tenses up, and Sasuke must have noticed because he glances at me quickly. All of a sudden he appears behind the Naruto look-alike and sends him flying backwards into a tree with a kick. I take out a kunai . Sakura eyes the both of us uneasily.

"Uh..Sasuke, don't you think you went a bit over board? I mean it wasn't _that_ bad. Don't you think so too, Amedoru?"

"Normally, I would. But whoever this is, isn't the real Naruto." I say. The fake Naruto gets up but Sasuke rushes for him and beats him back to the ground.

"What? Of course I'm the real Naruto, Amedoru." the fake Naruto says as he takes a step forward, holding out both of his hands. Sasuke whips out a kunai, and the both of us nod subtly to each other before taking a few cautious steps forward.

"Take a good look at him, Sakura." Sasuke says.

" What did you do to Naruto, where is he?!" I yell.

"What do you mean? It's me! I _am_ Naruto!"

"Then where's the cut on your cheek?" Sasuke asks in a hard voice. " The real Naruto is also right-handed, but the pouch your wearing is on his left. Your Transformation skills are even worse than the real Naruto's!" I saw all the flaws Sasuke pointed out, though not as quickly as he did, I'm sure. But what gave the fake Naruto away to me the most was the violent jerk my gut gave as soon as he stepped out of the bushes. Something inside me told me he just wasn't our number one knuckle-head hyperactive ninja.

"Who are you? Talk!" I shout, and the fake Naruto disappears in a cloud of smoke.

"That's not very important, is it?" A ninja wearing a weird mouth piece says, his voice filtering out through the holes in it. "I'm still gunna take your scroll. Now hand it over! Or else.." He eyes the three of us. "Which one of you has it?" My hand clenches tighter around the handle of my kunai. If this guy hurt Naruto, he'll pay for it. "I guess I'll just have to take all three of you down!" the ninja says before rushing us. Sasuke leaps into the air just as I transform into a tiger. Large clouds of fire rain down on us. I leap forward to tackle the ninja to the ground, but he leaps backwards and kicks me under the chin before taking off in the opposite direction. Sasuke follows behind him from above while I stay on the ground.

"Amedoru, get Naruto!" Sasuke yells, pointing downwards.

"Hey, get me outta here!" Naruto shouts. I race over to him and swipe my claws over the ropes wrapped around him. I really wish he'd stop squirming around though, I don't wanna cut him on accident.

"Thanks Amedoru" Naruto says before gasping. The ninja attacking us is right behind Sasuke with a kunai to his throat.

"Now hand over the scroll or you die!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouts. Naruto and I race over to them.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouts as he throws a kunai knife. It lands in the ground a few inches away from Sasuke, but he picks it back up with his foot and flings it up into the air, chasing after it in a blur. Now that's a good way to use chakra control. Blood splatters onto the ground from above, and Sakura's eyes grow wide as she throws her head back to look up.

"You all right?!" she shouts.

"Sakura don't just stand there! This guys probably not alone, the others could attack any moment!" Sasuke yells down to her.

I back up into Sakura and Naruto, and we form something like a triangle, all of us looking around, scanning for any other attackers. Someone lands on the ground to the far side of me, and with a growl I spin around fully. Sasuke holds up a hand.

"It's just me. The other guy's gone."

Sakura starts running over to Sasuke, but I step in front of her. She comes to a halt, and her breathing comes out in a shaky rattle.

"How do we know you're the real Sasuke?" I ask after releasing my jutsu. His eyes flash from black to blood-red, and I step away from Sakura. I'm not sure whether or not the Transformation Jutsu allows the user to copy kekkai genkais..but nonetheless, that jerky feeling in my gut doesn't come.

* * *

"The guy that just attacked us proves that we can't always trust appearances. We have to come up with a way of knowing that each of us is who we say we are, and not some impostor using the Transformation Jutsu." Sasuke says. Naruto and I nod our heads while Sakura leans forward on her knees.

"Alright, so what do we do?"

"Maybe we could use something like a password?" I add in. Sasuke nods his head.

"Yeah I think that'll work. It'll have to be a secret one, something that no one else knows but us four. Don't trust anyone who doesn't know it-no matter what. Okay, listen closely because I only wanna say this once. The question will be "when does a ninja strike" and the answer is "a ninja waits till the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, when his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night. That is the moment for a ninja to strike . Got it?"

"I got it ." Sakura says.

" As long as I keep running it through in my head, I'll get it." I say.

"You got one a little shorter?" Naruto asks.

"No Naruto. That's it." Sasuke deadpans, and Sakura adds in:

"Yeah Naruto, come on! Don't you get it? I memorized it easy."

"Just keep thinking about it over and over, and you'll be fine." I say.

"Yeah I got it. It'll be easy! I just thought we were gunna have a pass-word, not a pass-speech." Naruto says.

"Alright then. I'll take the scroll." Sasuke says as we all stand up. Naruto starts to say something, but his voice trails off as he clamps a hand onto his cheek-the one without the cut.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"I don't know, it just came outta no where." Naruto says, rubbing his cheek and looking out in front of us into the tangle of trees and foliage. A noise like a low whistle sounds through it before all of us start sliding backwards slowly from all the wind blowing at us. The dirt beneath my feet's starting to crumble.

"What is it..this time?" Sasuke gasps out. I bring my hands in front of me before they return back to their position in front of my face. My Jutsu's not strong enough yet to protect us all from this wind.

"We have to hide" I gasp out, and my eyes pick up the faintest nod from Sasuke. The four of us split up in opposite directions. There's a thick wall of shrubbery just to the side of me, and I cast a quick look over my shoulder before I leap into it. My teammates are already gone;there's nothing left except for a very deep trench made into the ground by the wind. I focus all my attention to my hearing, and even though the only thing I hear is silence, I pick up a pebble beside me and toss it out from the bush through the small opening my fingers make. What the heck happened to the trench? I shoot up from behind the brush and step over it, and press two fingers into the ground and lift them back up to my face, expecting to see at least a thin layer of fine dust. No trench..no blown-over topsoil..it's like the giant gust of wind never even happened.

"Naruto? Sasuke? Sakura?"

Silence

What happened to my friends?

* * *

Looking for my teammates on foot probably won't get me anywhere very fast, so I bring my hands up in front of me.

"Transformation Jutsu: Animal Style!" **  
**

I scan the ground from above, occasionally flapping my wings. Every now and then I spot some random teams..but there's no sign of my own. I settle down onto a tree branch and release the jutsu. If too many people see the same bird flying around too many times they might get suspicious.

"Where are you guys?" I ask out loud, leaning back against the trunk. I think about summoning Akino since his nose is better than mine, but my ears pick up on the smallest sound from right next to me. I turn my head around slowly..and just as I thought, a pair of robin's egg eyes stare right at me. It's almost exactly like my dream.

"Hey Gaara." I say, and to my surprise he doesn't disappear in spirals of swirling sand. Instead his feet stay planted on the underside of the tree branch slightly above me. That internal ringing feeling goes off again and spreads upwards to my head and through my arms from my stomach. Gaara doesn't say anything back, doesn't even nod his head. He just keeps staring at me, like he's searching for something. And I just stare right back at him, waiting for him to say something back. And when he finally does his quiet, monotone voice holds a hint of curiosity.

" Aren't you afraid of me?"

I feel my head tilt to the side just a little.

"No, I'm not."

He stares at me another moment before his body fades away slowly, and like my dream it's replaced by spirals of swirling sand. He appears again on the ground, walking away from me slowly, and he doesn't even turn his head to look back at me. I hop down from the branch but make no move towards him.

" You haven't given me a reason to be." I say. He pauses mid-step and his head turns to the side, and the way he's looking at me is like I just told him the biggest lie on the planet. He stands like that a quick moment before he crosses his arms and continues walking away.

"Gaara, wait." I call out as I take a step forward..but he's already gone. In my dream I was about to ask him something, but at the time I didn't know what. But now, there are several things I want to know. First, why was he alone? Are he and his team the reason I'm split off from Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura? He found me so quickly, like he'd been following me or something. Second ( and this is more of a question to myself) why do I keep getting this internal ringing feeling? And third..why did he ask me if I was afraid of him?

* * *

A low rumble beneath the ground snaps me out of my thoughts. I squat down and press my hands onto the quaking earth. It sounds..no, it _feels_ pretty close by. Before I can leap back up into the trees, several of them way out ahead of me collapse to the ground in a neat row...and against my better judgement, I head towards it. The closer I get, the less trees fall down until the rumbling stops altogether and the air is completely silent again..well, almost.

"Hey, let me outta here! Sasuke! Amedoru!-"

"Naruto!" I yell, but he doesn't answer. I push myself even faster through the trees, dropping to all fours involuntarily. "Naruto, it's me, Amedoru! Can you hear me?!" I yell as I leap behind one of the fallen tree trunks, crouching down behind it. Another moment passes, and I raise up a little higher, stopping as soon as the giant snake comes into view.

"Amedoru? Help! This things gunna digest me!" Naruto's voice comes out muffled, and I eye the large bloated area of the snake's mid-section.

"Hang tight, I'm coming!..aah!" I yell. My back slams into a tree, and splinters of wood from the trunk I was hiding behind fly at me in a spray. A few places on my cheeks and chin start stinging a little. The snake looms over me and it's head lowers to the ground, shrinking into the rest of it's body.

"Are you alright?!" Naruto shouts, and I fish in my side pouch for a couple shuriken.

"Yeah. Can you feel yourself moving downwards at all?"

It's quiet a second. "No..I don't think so."

That's good. If Naruto isn't moving, that means the snake's taking longer to digest him. But regardless, both Naruto and I don't have a lot of time on our hands. I need to figure out some way to get him out, and quick. The snake inches closer to me, and out of instinct my back presses harder against the trunk. The bulge in the snake's stomach is so big I can see both sides of it peeking out from behind either side of the snake's head. I don't wait for it to make the first move. I leap up and throw a kunai right into the face of the snake, not paying attention to see if I even hit it. All I needed was the distraction. The snakes body is one long winding road as I sprint across it, heading straight for the balloon-like bump in the middle. I don't wanna risk cutting Naruto, so I drop down to my knees and try sawing through the scales and tissue a good couple of inches away from the giant bulge.

"C'mon, c'mon." I mutter, going a bit frantic as I try to stab my kunai into the scales. It's like they're made of iron or something. With a loud hiss half the snakes body rises from the ground as it cranes it's head around to look to at me. I roll forwards down it's body. It can't attack me without hurting itself as long as I stay on it. Naruto yells something out to me but the snake's hissing drowns him out. Kunai won't work..but maybe my other new jutsu will, I think. No, I can't risk Naruto getting hurt. Something inside's telling me I need to find another way. If I can't take it down on the outside..then maybe doing it from the inside will work! Like Zabuza, I clench my kunai in between my teeth, with the spiky end of it pointing downwards. My body turns into a bird of prey-something big- and I circle around the snake's head. Come on,I think. It's head snaps back with it's mouth wide open, and like I predicted, captures me in it. Before it can swallow me I release the jutsu and spread my legs far apart so that its pushing against the corner's of it's jaws. The extra chakra I send up to my arms lets me keep the upper half of the snakes mouth open, but even so they shake from the pressure the snake's making as it tries shutting me in completely.

"Amedoru?!" Naruto yells in a clearer voice, and I squeeze my eyes shut tight. My arms are starting to lower even further. Another minute more and the both of us are done for.

"We're not dying like this." I say around the handle of the kunai as multiple faces flash through my mind. My arms continue lowering inch by inch..and it's when they're at their weakest that I throw my head up and drive the kunai deep into the roof of the snake's mouth. It's deep cry makes my body vibrate, and the trees I see from out the snake's opened mouth start swaying until they become one big blur.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Naruto yells at the same time , and a shrill whistling noise grows until a loud pop races upwards from deep within the snake, and before I know it the head with me still in it goes flying through the air until it lands hard on the ground, bouncing upwards once. The collar of my shirt catches on one of the snake's fangs, and it rips open in a jagged, yet straight line down the length of my shoulder and arm, splitting my shirt-sleeve in half.

"You messed with the wrong Shinobi, buddy. If you thought I was gunna end up as a pile of snake crap out here then you were wrong! I'm gunna be Hokage some day, right Amedoru?..Amedoru? Where are you?!" Naruto calls, and I try to call back to him, but everything's still spinning, and I can't form a single word right. "Hey, lets check over here!" Multiple voices say, and a group of footsteps near me . Several Naruto's bend down and peer in at me. "She's in here!" one of them says, and another Naruto..the real one, I think, pushes through them. "Amedoru!" he gasps before looking at the shadow clones around him. "Help me out here guys." The snake's head had lowered a lot more when we went flying through the air, and several pairs of hands reach inside it's mouth and lift it up, some of the clone's groaning. When it's raised as high as it can be, Naruto steps inside and pulls me out gently by my arm, slinging it over his shoulder as the both of us step down onto the solid forest floor.

"Hey Naruto" I say with a smile. After a couple of blinks, everything stops spinning. His clones disappear.

"Are you alright?" he asks, eyeing the ripped part of my shirt. I reach up a hand and brush my fingertips across the exposed skin and wipe off the light layer of blood onto my pants. Naruto doesn't say anything, but from the concerned look on his face I know he saw the blood.

"A little banged up, but I'll be alright. The snake's fang cut me, but it's not deep at all. How bout you?" I ask. He smirks.

"I'm perfectly fine. There was no way that stupid snake was eating me alive!" He grins before his face settles into an easy smile. "Thanks for helping me out."

"Anytime. And thank _you._ If it weren't for your Shadow Clones, we'd have been first _and_ second helpings."

He grins and chuckles "Thanks. So uh, what happened to Sasuke and Sakura?" he asks in a more serious voice, with worry written all over his face.

"I don't know. All of us got split up, I think. We gotta find them." I say, and we give each other determined nods as we leap up into the trees.

* * *

The carcass of another giant snake comes into view, lying stretched out on a lower branch. Another one starts winding up the trunk towards Sasuke, and feeling of both relief and worry battle against each other inside. The scariest thing about the snake, though, is that the very upper part of it is human. I've never seen anything like that before. Could it be some kind of Transformation Jutsu? I take out a couple shuriken just as Naruto reaches for his kunai, and we both fling our weapons as one. They land deep in the branch just in front of the snake..er, snake-human, I guess. It looks up at us with slightly raised eyebrows.

"Looks like we both arrived just in time!" Naruto yells as both our feet plant themselves on a lower branch. I bend over a little and see the top of Sakura's head.

"Naruto! Amedoru!" she calls as she looks up at us with relieved, big green eyes.

"Oh and one more thing..what was that password again?" Naruto says.

Sakura rolls her eyes. "Forget it, I know it's you. You're the one who made up the stupid thing!"

"Naruto and Amedoru, get out of here! What are you guys thinking?!" Sasuke yells up to us. "You don't know what you're up against, now hurry! Go now while you still can!"

I glance over to Sasuke and almost take a step back at the look in his eyes. It's completely different from before when we fought Zabuza the first time he used the Hidden mist Jutsu, when Sasuke was so delusional he almost stabbed himself with own kunai. He's completely terrified. The snake-human hasn't moved since Naruto and I came, It's just lounging on the branch with one arm hanging off the side. Her eyes move from Sasuke to Naruto and I, and a shiver creeps down my spine when her voice comes out sounding like something between a hiss and a purr.

"So Naruto, you managed to escape from my little friend..and Amedoru found her friends just in time. Well done, the both of you."

I see now..so it was her who made that giant gust of wind that made us all separate..and it was her who covered up the trench in the ground. How could I not have noticed her? There's only one good reason why she went to all this trouble- the scroll. But why is she alone? My eyes travel down from her head all the way to the end of her body. Wait..the lower half of her isn't a snake..it's just her legs that've been elongated. Is there even such thing as a stretch-jutsu?

"Okay I don't know what's going on here, but you've been picking on my friends and I don't like that!" Naruto says angrily. I look down at Sakura and then over to Sasuke. Other than the look of extreme fear on Sakura's face, she doesn't seem to have any injuries. It's Sasuke I'm worried about. Even though he's standing firm on both his feet, I can tell that he's trying to shift most of his weight slowly to one leg. "So you just better slither on back down your snake hole lady, or I'll make a pair of shoes outta ya." Naruto points his finger down at her, but her face remains set in stone, though the corners of her mouth are tilted upward.

"The way she's watching us..who makes the first move?" I mutter under my breath. This lady may be mostly human looking in appearance, but she reminds me so much more of the wild snakes that like to hide under the big fallen tree trunk at the lake near my house. Shikamaru got bit by one on the ankle one time, but since the Nara's run that analysis lab in the village, he was able to tell us what kinds of plants we needed to pick to help with the pain and swelling. That's how I knew what kind of grass to pick for Naruto to help with his hand back on our first mission. Kakashi..if you were here right now, what would you do? His face pops into my mind.

_"Tomorrow Amedoru..just be careful." _

"Fine. You can have it." Sasuke bites out as he releases his Sharingan. He reaches into his pouch and pulls out our scroll. " This is what you want, right? Alright then, take it and leave us in peace!"

Sakura gasps while Naruto's mouth falls open a little. I can feel my eyes widen. For Sasuke to just give up our scroll like this..then this lady must really be something. He's trying to protect all of us, but from what exactly? What did this lady do to Sasuke and Sakura that has them so terrified?

"Are you crazy?! What are you thinking?! You're just gunna hand over our scroll to the enemy?!" Naruto yells, and Sasuke's face turns hard.

"Stay out of it!"

"Ah, very wise, very sensible." The lady pushes her upper body up with her hands. "Sometimes the helpless prey, if they are to save their own skins, realize their only hope is to distract the predator with something even more precious.."

_"Use the justu.."_ a faint voice inside me says, and I shake my head. It can't be used if the enemy and I aren't on the same ground. The scroll leaves Sasuke's hands..and almost at that same instant, Naruto's feet leave the branch.

"NO!"

I swing out an arm to grab his ankle, but my fingers grab onto empty air instead. He holds up the scroll, and I leap down and land on his other side.

"Stop trying to be the hero all the time and leave this to me!" Sasuke yells at him. Naruto's whole body twists around before uncurling at a blinding speed, kind've like rope swings when you twist them around each other, and his fist slams right onto the side of Sasuke's jaw, sending him flying towards the branch right next to mine. The position of the branch's form a natural square, I notice.

"You fool, you don't know what your doing!"

Naruto huffs heavily before saying " I may not know the password, but I know who _I_ am. You're the one I'm not so sure about. How do we know you're who you say you are?"

He has a point. There is a chance that Sasuke could be one of this lady's teammates in disguise. But if that were true, I'd assume that they would make quick work of us instead of taking their time. This time I can't feel anything deep in my gut that allows me to see beyond the appearance instantly, like I was able to with Naruto.

"What are you talking about? It's him!" Sakura says.

"What kind of nonsense is this? It's me, you loser!"

"And that's gotta be the proof that backs you up. Only the real Sasuke uses that nickname for Naruto" I say, and Naruto and I share a look.

He shakes his head "He's a liar", he says as he faces Sasuke " You may look and sound just like him, but there's no way you're the Sasuke I know! I don't care how tough a fight you've been through..surrendering our scroll? When did Sasuke become a coward?! You keep saying you don't know what's going on, but I do! You've choked!"

The lady's smile grows bigger as she pushes herself onto her feet. "It doesn't matter. As far as the scroll goes, I could simply kill you and take it." her shirt-sleeve rides up her arm revealing several black markings. She nips her thumb with her teeth, and the back of my neck tingles with tiny sharp pricks.

"She's using a Summoning Jutsu!" I shout out to my teammates.

Naruto whips out a kunai and sprints towards the snake lady. "I'd like to see you try!" Sasuke and I shout out to him at the same time:

"No, Naruto, don't!"

"Naruto, stop!"

That giant gust of wind swirls around us again, kicking up leaves from the ground. When it dies down a snake just like the one that swallowed Naruto throws it's head to the side. Naruto leaps over and dodges it, and I hop on over to the branch he lands on. The lady stands on-top of her summons head, looking down at the both of us.

"My, what a tasty meal you'll make.." she says, eyeing Naruto. Then she looks over at me. "And I should think you'll do just fine for a snack later..careful now, he likes to play with his food first. Come to think of it, Naruto..I change my mind about your friend. I'll start with her first!" The snakes tail swipes down in an arc towards me at a quick speed.

"No!" Naruto shouts as he leaps in front of me..and the next thing I know he's falling downwards towards the snake's ready mouth.

"NARUTO!" I shout. But before I can bring my hands up to make the Transformation Jutsu sign, I fall onto my hands and knees. Internal ringing starts from deep in the center of my body and shoots upwards, branching out to my arms and then back down to my legs.

"Amedoru what's wrong?!" Sakura shouts over to me in a worried voice. My vision blurs over before it tunnels until finally, when I blink, it's so clear I can see every individual crack in the trunk beneath me. Naruto's yelling makes my head snap to the side. He's moving so fast all his punches and kicks that land on the snake's head are one big blur. But it's when I see him go down after getting hit with a cloud of fire that my fingers dig into the branch, leaving small, splintery, individual dips. My ears pick up on the sound of several branches cracking in half, one after the other. Taking a deep breath that I exhale in a huff, I get back on my feet and look right into the eyes of the lady on the snake. Her own widen some, and a tiny smile plays with the corners of her mouth. I feel like I did back on the bridge Tazuna was building-so _angry_. Naruto leaped in front of me to protect me..and now he's hurt.

"My my, what have I stumbled upon here?" she says to herself quietly, though it makes no difference to me. I leap to the side just as I throw a couple shuriken right into the snake's face. If I can just get the both of them on the same branch as me.. it's tail comes swooping at me again like before. I flip backwards then whirl my body around using my hands, using a leg to land a kick on it as hard as I can. Maybe it's just me, but for a second there I thought I saw something covering my leg.. loud crackling sounds as soon as it makes contact with the tail, and the snake yanks it away with a loud hiss. Several scales fall off and drop onto the branch. Some of them even have faint wisps of smoke rising from them. It's like back at the academy with the wooden dummy all over again..

What's happening?

I blink once and it's like my pupils tighten up before relaxing again. My vision's back to normal now. The snake-lady cocks her head to the side as she looks at me a moment. What's she waiting for?

"Let's see how well you do, Sasuke." she says all of a sudden, and both the snake as well as her attention snaps over to the opposite branch. The snake rears up and shrinks it's head into the rest of it's body before shooting outwards.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yells.

The snake freezes in it's tracks, but I can't see why. I hop onto a higher branch and breath in relief as soon as I see the top of Naruto's spiky blonde head. Never make the mistake of turning your back on Naruto when you knock him down, I think to myself, because when he gets on his feet again, he's a hundred times stronger.

"You're not..hurt, are ya?" he huffs in front of Sasuke. Now I see why the snake stopped-because of Naruto's strength and two kunai knives. All of us stare at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to lift his head up. When he does the ringing goes off inside me again. Naruto's eyes, instead of their usual fiery-sky blue, are now a deep red thats lighter in color around his pupils that are shaped like thin, upright rectangles. His whisker marks are even more prominent, and his teeth look longer and pointier. My eyes tunnel again before re-focusing. "Huh, Scaredy-Cat?" he asks in a raspy voice. "standing there frozen like a frightened rabbit. No way..you're not the Sasuke I know." The longer I look into those red eyes..the more I feel like I know them from somewhere. A long, pink tongue wraps around Naruto's arms, lifting him up before wrapping around his middle. "Hey put me down! Or I'm gunna yank this tongue outta your head!" he yells, thrashing around. The snake-lady brings him closer so they're face to face, and my eyes tunnel again. She says something to him in a low voice. I can only pick up a couple words.

"..nine-tailed fox's chakra.."

My stomach jerks violently. Yes..that sounds familiar. The fingertips of the lady's hand each create a tiny flame of bright purple fire, and she lifts up the front of Naruto's jumpsuit. What could she be looking at?

"Five-pronged seal!" she shouts, bringing her hand back.

"Don't you touch him!" I shout, leaping down from the tree even though every instinct in my body tells me not to. I know I'm not making a smart decision, but I have to try and get Naruto away from this lady. I just have to. She sticks a hand out faster than I think's possible and catches me by my throat. It all happens so fast my breath leaves my mouth in a gasp. Her hand squeezes even tighter around my neck as she slams her other hand into Naruto's stomach, and he gasps out loud as his eyes change back to their natural blue. They flicker over towards me, meeting my own. He shudders once then goes completely limp.

"For now, you're in my way." she says before she tosses Naruto to the side.

"S-save..him" I choke out.

"I'm on it!" Sakura's kunai slices through the air and pins Naruto to a nearby tree by his jumpsuit. From the corner of my eye Sasuke stares at the lady, trembling, seemingly deaf to all the words Sakura yelling at him. The lady moves me so that we're face-to-face, and her eyes travel up and down, eyeing me. If we end up dying here, I think to myself, then I hope we take her with us. That way Shikamaru, Lee..and everyone else won't have to look into her eyes and feel completely helpless. She's holding me with one hand, but there might as well be a thousand shackles wrapped around my body. I've failed my team, my brother..even myself.

"You have such a.._light_ in you, my dear." she hisses a she leans forward, positioning her opened mouth right above the exposed skin on my shoulder. "But you are different from the others of my choosing, I fear. You lack the drive, the passion." She lifts the front of my shirt up and frowns. "Hm..I wonder." she mutters before she reaches out towards me with her hand that's glowing a pale orange. No matter how hard I kick and squirm..no matter how hard I claw at at the hand holding me..it's all no use. It covers my face anyways, her fingernails digging into my skin, and it's like she's set a wildfire in my mind, blazing away in swirling tunnels..burning. She pulls her hand away after a moment, and the fire in my mind follows, leaving me gasping for breath. Cold sweat drips down the sides of my face, stopping to collect at my chin. Have I really come this far to be taken down this quickly? I think to myself. If that happens, then the faith Kakashi put in me will all be for nothing. My teammates..my friends put their trust in me..I can't let them down. Any of them.

"T-transformation..jutsu."

Because this isn't over until I stop breathing.

She releases me just before both my swinging legs can make contact with her mid-section, and I flip backwards, somehow landing on a branch higher up with Sakura. She has to tilt her head back a little to look at me. That's strange..I've never been able to turn into something this big before. I'm not even sure what I am exactly, either. I really need to start paying attention to that. I release the jutsu and fall into something like a half-crouch, half-squat position with my hands in front of me.

"A-amedoru, are you alright?" Sakura asks, and I nod my head once, casting a look over at Naruto dangling limply from the kunai. My chest tightens. Sasuke passes by us slowly below, his blood-red eyes fierce and hard. For a moment he doesn't move at all..but now half his body bends over slightly, and he whips out a kunai before sticking it longways in his mouth, holding it. The snake-lady hunches over too. Sasuke charges towards her.

"What do we do, Amedoru?" Sakura asks in a small voice, staring out in front of her. "Do we help him?"

"Yeah. But not yet..let's see what Sasuke's plan is. I have a feeling that if we rush in now we'd only get in his way."

"Okay." she nods.

Sasuke's body leaps and twirls in the air, and the lady matches him with movements of her own.

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asks, never taking her eyes away from the fight.

I cast a quick glance over at him again. He's still knocked out..from whatever that monster did to him. " He's safe where he is now. All this lady's attention is on Sasuke, now."

"Sasuke.." she says, and her voice comes out as a shaky waver. The lady's body elongates fully into it's snake form as she dances around him.

"If we have faith in him, he'll be alright." I say, trying to comfort her. She lets out a gasp as a huge ball of fire shoots out of Sasuke's mouth. It's when he manages to wrap his arms around the lady before driving her down towards the ground that he leaves my sight. Sakura rushes forwards and peers down below with wide eyes.

"Sasuke!"

"Here, let me try something, keep looking for him." I say before turning my head to the side and pressing my ear against the rough bark. The only thing coming through, though, are muffled thuds."

"There he is, I see him! Sasuke!" Sakura yells. I rush over to her side and we both peer down. Sasuke's lying on a branch far below, curled up on his side. The snake lady stops in front him, and I think she's saying something to him in a low voice. I have to do something..I reach for my side-pouch, but a loud explosion bounces off the treetops. When the snake lady is captured and bound to a tree by Sasuke's nearly invisible string he unleashes a giant cloud of fire directed towards her, setting her on fire. Everything suddenly has a reddish-orange tint to it.

"Hey he did it!" Sakura says, and a relieved sigh escapes me. Maybe it's safe to go get Naruto now.. the lady's screams gradually die down until the only sound left is the steady crackle of the remaining flames from Sasuke's jutsu. He hunches over down below. Sakura's already rushing down to him, but she stops suddenly and turns around to look back at me.

"I'm gunna get Naruto."

She nods once before disappearing from sight. I leap over next to Naruto's still form and hold myself to the trunk with my feet and hands. I yank out the kunai and pull him over my shoulder before hopping back over to the branch Sakura and I were on. I lay him down as gently, and as slowly as I can.

"You are one tough shinobi, ya know." I say, looking down at his face. His mouth is slack and his eyelids shut. That and the steady rise and fall of his chest make me believe that right now, he's peacefully oblivious and far away from all that's going on right now.

"Who are you..WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Sasuke yells, and I snap my head up. I get down on my belly and crawl forwards using my elbows, stopping when I'm right in front of the branch's edge. Three figures come into view when I peer down. My eyes shift over to the empty, burnt tree. How did-

Something small and white appears in the palm of the lady's hand before bursting into a green-blue flame. She says something,and even though I can't make out the words, the tone of it is different from the lady that was tied to the tree being burned alive. It's more masculine..although there's still that strange lilt to it. Her, er_ his_ hands form a series of hand-signs. Oh man..what do I do? I'l never be able to reach Sakura and Sasuke in time..and if I did, then what? The both of them look paralyzed, and I'm no match against this guy. C'mon, Amedoru, think! Suddenly the man's neck elongates and shoots outwards towards Sasuke with an opened mouth. The small glint of fangs sparkles in what lighting there is. All I can do is watch, and it makes me feel awful inside.

"Sasuke, NO!" Sakura shouts as the fangs sink into Sasuke's neck ..just like what was about to happen to me. But the man had pulled back at the last second, and instead did that strange thing to me. I wonder if the pain I felt looked anything like the red-orange flames eating away at the tree. I've waited too long.. I just need something to help me, a sign or something to tell me what to do. Almost as soon as I get done thinking a small black bird dives down from a tree high up above. "I'll take that as a sign, then." I say, and as soon as my arms lock themselves tightly against my sides, I push myself off the branch, falling downwards at an angle in a dive much like that black bird. Sasuke, Sakura, and the man get closer..but he's starting to sink downwards into the branch. My eye's squint and my hair whips around me. Just a little more..I think to myself as I take out a kunai and hold it in front of me, clutching it by the very top with one hand over the other. Only the man's head is visible now. No, no, no..I think before plunging the kunai downwards..but it's too late. The kunai only hits solid wood, and I flip forwards before I hit the branch so I can land on my feet.

"Too late..again." I mutter as I slam my fist against the branch. Sasuke lets out a pain-filled scream behind me.

"Sasuke what is it, what's he done to you?!" Sakura asks, her voice filled with panic. I rush over to them and drop down onto my knees on Sasuke's other side. My hands are shaky as I pull back the collar of his shirt, exposing a large, black mark and two bloody puncture wounds. Sasuke keeps screaming.

"You'll be alright..I'm here." Sakura says as she grasps Sasuke by his hand, pulling him up by his middle. She and I share a look. I don't know what to do..

"Sasuke..just hang on, okay? Just hang in there." I say as I grasp his shoulder. His screaming quiets down as he slumps forward into Sakura's arms.

"S-sasuke?" Sakura whispers, a few tears falling into his hair.

"I-I don't know what to do, Sakura." I stammer as my fingers go to war picking at each other.

"NARUTO!" Sakura hollers " Sasuke's hurt! I need you-we need you! Naruto!"

A small flock of birds shoot out from the treetops over-head, and Sakura clutches Sasuke closer to her. I tilt my head back. Naruto and Sasuke are both down.. they could be dying.

"Don't think like that" I say out loud.

"What?" Sakura asks with wide eyes. I shake my head.

" Listen Sakura..Naruto and Sasuke are both down. I think Naruto's gunna be fine..but Sasuke.." I glance down at him before getting up and walking till I'm crouched down in front of her with Sasuke in-between. " We need to take the both of them and find someplace where we can stay hidden for the night. I don't know if anyone else heard the fight..but just to be safe, we should getta outta here as soon as we can."

"B-but we don't know where to go..I mean..we'll be more vulnerable if we end up looking through the forest all night. Someone could see us."

I think for a moment. " True..but maybe I can scout ahead first. I'm sure we can find something- a hollowed tree, a cave..something." Sakura's hand shoots out and grabs my wrist as I stand.

"Be careful Amedoru."

"You too. Before I go, though..did that guy ever say who he was or what he really wanted? I saw him burn the scroll up."

"His name is Orochimaru. And he wants Sasuke." Sakura says in a whisper as she looks over her shoulder. I feel bad about leaving her here like this, but I can't think of anything else to do. This is our best shot right now.

I take to the sky as a bird, sparing a last look over my shoulder before focusing ahead again.

* * *

"At least he's breathing easy now..but he's got a high fever." Sakura mutters, wiping the sweat off Sasuke's forehead.

"I'll have to see if I can find any plants to help. But for now, the best thing to do is let him try and sweat it out." I say from my place next to Naruto.

"I guess it's up to the two of us now." Sakura says, looking over at me. I try and give her a smile- something to reassure her.

"We'll figure this out."

After that neither one of us says anything for a long time. We've both fallen into our individual patterns. Sakura will look at Sasuke, then look away, and then place her hand on his forehead. Sometimes it slides down to stroke his cheek. I look out through the large entryway that acts like one giant window in our place underneath the hollowed out tree before checking on Naruto. When I see he's still breathing nice and deep, I look over and watch Sakura and Sasuke.

"Is that cut on your shoulder deep? I saw the blood." Sakura whispers over to me.

" No, I don't think so. It wasn't bleeding a whole lot."

"How'd you get it?"

"Let's just say the inside of a snake's mouth isn't very comfortable." I say with a small chuckle.

The both of us look from each other to back outside, eyeing the still foliage and velvety sky. Despite my heavy eyelids and all the aches in my body, I know I have to stay awake. Sakura reaches out towards Sasuke again, and I watch as she strokes his cheek with the back of her hand so tenderly it almost makes me feel like I shouldn't be watching. Her eyes lift and meet mine, and she pulls away from Sasuke with a blush so red it glows in the darkness.

"It's alright Sakura..I uh, just like watching you..with him, sometimes. It's nice." I get out awkwardly. Sakura's still blushing, but she sends me a smile.

"So uh, if Sasuke woke up and kissed you right now, what would you do?" I ask. Overall Sakura looks just as scared as I feel. Maybe I can try and take her mind off things, if only a short moment.

"Oh! Um..I would..I w-would, uh...kiss him back." Sakura finishes the last part in a whisper more quiet than the one she was already speaking in, making me grin. The both of us laugh shortly, and it fades away into a peaceful silence again as we both stare out into the forest.

"You and Shikamaru must be pretty close, huh? I've seen you two together. It's like seeing a different side of him, sometimes."

"He's my best friend in the whole world." I say with a soft smile, and Sakura returns it. " Wherever he is..I just hope he's alright." I say more to myself, and Sakura surprises me when she reaches over Sasuke and Naruto to grab my hand firmly. I give it a quick squeeze. She lets go so she can grab onto Sasuke's, bringing it close to her chest, so I settle back against the cool, inner wall of the tree and squeeze Naruto's wrist before I allow myself to gaze out the large entryway again. My head dips forward as my eyes shut too many times to count..but it never lasts long. The eyes of Orochimaru stare at me unblinking in the darkness behind my eyelids.

* * *

Sakura jerks awake with a startled gasp.

"You alright?" I ask when her breathing becomes even again. She nods rapidly before staring at the ground and then over at Sasuke and Naruto worriedly. She's only been asleep a few minutes, but in that short period of time must've had a dream or something. Something rustles in the bushes outside, and I crouch forwards on the tips of my toes, reaching for a couple of shuriken in my pouch with one hand. Sakura unlatches her carrier and takes out a kunai, her hands shaking slightly. I focus on the bushes behind her, and ever so slowly she twists her head around. When a squirrel hops out of the foliage holding a nut, looking at us with it's beady black eyes, I blow air out through my mouth quickly..though I don't break eye contact with the animal. It drops the nut it's holding suddenly and races towards us.

"Oh no.." I say as Sakura gasps. We both throw our weapons at the same time, and the squirrel comes to a skidding halt right in front of our small barrier of shuriken and kunai.

"That was too close." Sakura sighs.

"He must've wanted something from us to have dropped his food like that."

Sakura reaches up and grabs two white rags off the small clothesline she made last night. She wets them both before placing one on Sasuke's head and handing the other one to me. I fold it and rest it on Naruto's forehead, pushing his headband back a little. His eye's move around behind his lids for a brief second, but after that he becomes completely still again. Orochimaru bit Sasuke so he could leave that mark on him..but what about Naruto? What exactly did he do to him? A moan leaves Sasuke's lips, and I stand up and walk towards the big hole.

"I'll go see if I can find something to help Naruto and Sasuke. There's gotta be a plant or something that can bring Sasuke's fever down, or at least get Naruto to wake up." I say before stopping with one foot raised from the ground. Three Sound Ninja stand far out in front of us. The same three I recognize from back in the waiting room at the academy for the first part of the exams.

"Some lookout you two make..one's half-asleep and the other's trying to slip away." The one who attacked Kabuto says. "Well at least you don't have to keep a look out anymore..what's the point when we've already found you? Now wake Sasuke up. We want to fight him."

My teeth grit together. " You'll have to deal with us first."

Sakura walks up beside me, the both of us blocking Sasuke and Naruto from the Sound Ninja's view. " What do you want? I mean what do you really want? I know Orochimaru is calling the shots from the shadows." All three Sound Ninja's snap their heads up. How did Sakura know they're in league with Orochimaru? " What's that strange bruise on the back of Sasuke's neck? You're probably behind that to, and you want to fight him when he can't defend himself?"

"I don't think I can listen to you talk to us like that. " the one with the spiky hair says. " First I'm gunna kill this girl, then I'm gunna kill Sasuke."

"And what of the other two?" the female asks in a teasing voice. The ninja with the spiky hair shrugs.

"If they get in my way, I'll kill them too."

"Hold it." the leader says as he walks forward a bit..strangely. He crouches down and puts his hand on the ground. Sakura exhales heavily while every muscle in my body tightens. "It's so obvious. This is the color of dirt that's recently been dug up. And this kind of grass doesn't grow in a place like this."

Darn it. He was able to spot it so easily.

"If you're going to lay a trap, there's no point unless it's actually hidden."

"Ha. You're just a joke." the spiky haired ninja says. "You threw those weapons so the squirrel wouldn't spring your trap, huh?"

The leader with the furry thing on his back tilts his head to the side. " Now..we kill them." he says as all three leap towards us.

"Here they come." I say as I clench several shuriken in between my knuckles. Sakura pulls out a kunai and holds it firmly in front of her. Wait for it..wait..

"Go ahead, Amedoru." Sakura says, and I let loose a shuriken that severs the almost invisible line over to the far side of me. Our second trap swings from the treetops.

"Watch out!" one of the Sound Ninja says, and two of them split off from the leader. He plants one hand against the log and makes a hand sign, cracking it in half. Whatever jutsu he used is kind've like-

"Nice try. But you really don't have any talent as a ninja. Someone should put in a little more effort, don't you think?" the leader says, eyeing Sakura. The three Sound Ninja are even closer now, and I ready my hand clenching the shuriken.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

All three Sound Ninja fly backwards from the spinning green blur.

"Ro-Lee!" I say as he lands in front of us with that squirrel from before riding on his shoulder.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again." Lee says with amusement, turning his head to the side subtly and glancing back at me.

"W-what's he doing?" Sakura asks under her breath, looking at me.

"He's lending us a hand." I say with a smile.

Lee turns his head back around, eyeing the ninja with that furry thing on his back. "I think it is you who needs to make a little more of an effort."

"Who are you?" he asks.

"I am the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village. And my name is Rock Lee" That first part sounds a lot like Gai..

"But Lee, I don't understand. Why are you..?' Sakura's voice trails off as she stares at him.

"I will always appear, anytime and anywhere that you are in trouble, Sakura." Lee says, petting the squirrel under it's chin. " Amedoru, you are family to me, and I made a vow long ago that I would always be there for you. I do not plan on breaking that anytime soon." He reaches up and plucks the squirrel off his shoulder, letting it run down his arm to the ground. " This is really thanks to you, little one. But it is time for you to go now."

"But right now on this test? I'm your enemy! So is Amedoru!" Sakura protests, and I wish I could just sit down and explain to her. Lee is one of those rare people that feels things a hundred times more than anyone else. There's no doubt he absolutely adores Sakura, and he takes the idea of family very seriously. When Ro-Lee says he's going to do something, he does it. No matter what. The thought of it always makes me feel proud of him, but when it comes to situations like this, I can't help but feel scared and worried.

"Sakura, haven't I already told you? I will protect you until I die."

She's quiet a moment. "Yes..thank you, Rock Lee."

I move to stand next to him and grab his hand in my own, squeezing it once. He looks down at me with a soft smile that's completely different from his usual toothy one.

"It looks like I have no choice." The Sound Ninja's leader says. He throws something back to one of his teammates. " I'll let you have Sasuke, Zaku. I'll take care of these two." He rushes towards us suddenly,lifting up his shirt sleeve. Something full of holes is wrapped around his arm. I fling my shuriken as Sakura's kunai flies right past me. Lee plunges his hand into the ground, and when he pulls it back up a huge tree root is clutched in his hand, making a small barrier separating us from the Sound Ninja.

"I am positive there is some kind of trick to your attack. Therefore, I will not waste my time trying to dodge it. After all, I have seen your jutsu before." Lee says

"So you noticed too." I say to him. I still have that hunch about the main force behind that ninja's attacks, but I'm still not sure about it. I'll have to start paying closer attention to his attacks. That thing on his arm though, might have something to do with it.

"Three against one.." Lee mumbles under his breath, but I catch it.

"Three against two, you mean." I say, and he looks over at me with a hint of questioning in his eyes.

" We're family Ro-Lee, and family sticks together."

"Right." he nods after a moment, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. He wipes the back of his arm across them quickly. I don't have a plan right now, and if Lee has one, he's thinking it over. He starts unwrapping the bandages on his arms, and my hands go into the Transformation Jutsu sign. The ninja with that furry thing on his back rushes towards Lee, who crouches down.

"To protect the life of someone precious!" he yells, and the two meet head-on. I watch them for a moment before eyeing the other two with feline eyes. I crouch down a little on all fours as a leopard. The other two are gunna go for Sakura soon. She can defend herself..but she can't leave the boys, which makes her vulnerable and unable to full-out putting the both of them in danger. Naruto and Sasuke could get hurt... I've gotta find some way to take both of the Sound Ninja out but still help Sakura protect the boys.

"Oh no ya don't !" Zaku yells, slamming both his hands into the ground. Something digs two tunnels under the ground, somehow absorbing most of the impact from Lee's attack when he drove his opponent into the ground. Lee slides backwards and stops next to me, and the both of us watch with wide eyes as his opponent climbs out of the small dirt mound, unharmed..and alive. Lee's attack should have ended him.

"How can this be?!" Lee asks. The Sound Ninja rolls up his sleeve again, exposing that thing on his arm. He rushes towards Lee, swinging out his arm, and that's when I know my suspicion was right. He _is_ using sound.

"Your jutsu may be fast..but ours is faster because it travels at the speed of sound.."

His arm swigs out towards Lee, and with a growl I leap in front of him. I try and focus my chakra into pushing out from my body so that it makes a shield, like I've practiced so many times before the start of the exams. The familiar crackling noise like lightning sounds, but before my jutsu can go any farther than that, a massive wave of sound rocks into me. It must've gotten Lee too, because he groans from behind me. I sway to the side. Everything from the ground beneath me, and even to the trees surrounding us on all sides look like they're warping in slow ripples. A high pitched noise rings in my ears, and I shake my head to the side.

"Effort by itself does nothing. Now watch..we're going to show you something called "The Wall" "

I try and stay on my feet as I backtrack slowly until I come to a stop right next to Lee, who's making small grunting sounds. Suddenly everything lurches to the side violently. Something falls to the ground with a heavy thud, and I don't realize it was me until I look down and notice how close the ground is to my face. Lee heaves before vomiting onto the ground.

"Lee, whats wrong?!" Sakura asks. Lee spits into the dirt. He can't stop coughing. "What's happening?..Amedoru!" I wish I can say something, but even when I shut my eyes, I can still feel everything warping..twisting. I pick up on the scent of fresh blood, and my eyes grow wide at the thin red river streaming out of Lee's ear. His eyes meet mine as he clamps both hands over it . A growl stirs around in my stomach, and when it rises up my throat and out my mouth it's louder and angrier than any thunderclap. I try and get back on my feet, but I sway to the side again before landing back in the dirt.

"Oh, I forgot to mention this little gadget I wear. You might be able to dodge my blow, but you can't get away from _it. _I don't need to strike you with my fists..I can hit you with the power of sound" The ninja's voice comes out sounding distorted, but I'm still able to hear every word he says.

"S-sound?" Lee asks.

"The vibration of molecules in the air creates a sound wave .These vibrations are collected by the ear. They are directed from the outer canal through the inner, and then finally to your ear drum. What interests me are the organs of your inner ear. The one's that control your sense of balance, your ability to move. Feeling a little dizzy? Nauseous? It's best if you don't even try to stand up for a little while. It must be pretty painful for your animal friend." the ninja finishes with a chuckle, looking back and forth between Lee and I.

"You see kid, your old fashioned Tai-Jutsu stuff wont work against us. As for you, you really think turning into animals was going to make a difference? Please." Zaku says, and Lee growls. "You see, I can manipulate ultra-sonic waves and air pressure. I can do things you've never even dreamed of. I can make the earth as soft as a feather..face it kiddies, you're dealing with the jutsu of the future." He crosses his arms so that his palms are facing us. Something's shooting out of the tiny metallic holes in the center of each palm. Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes as I lift myself up again slowly. If this guys gunna attack us with jutsu, then there's no way I'm just gunna lye down and wait for it. Lee's face is set in a hard scowl, and his hands are away from his ears.

"Now then little girl..it's your turn!" the ninja with the arm-thing says as he sprints around Lee and I.

"No!" Lee yells. The both of us sprint after the ninja, and when we catch up we flank him on either side.

"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee yells, but when he sweeps his leg he lets out a pain-filled cry. The Sound Ninja grabs Lee's leg.

'It's impressive you're still able to move at all. We'll have to do something about that!" The ninja slams his arm into the side of Lee's face, sending a massive sound wave directly into his injured ear. While I was down I concentrated mostly on collecting all my chakra, and with a growl I leap in between Lee and the Sound Ninja. The chakra shield I tried making before becomes fully visible now, and it wraps around Lee and I in an almost invisible sphere. Small streaks of lightning-based chakra race over it on the outer part. I can feel all the sound waves that bounces off the trees and rocks pounding into the shield,drilling into the front part of my brain. The Sound Ninja yanks his arm away from Lee with a yell. Smoke's coming off it, and the metal thing on his arm has a large, blackened stain on it. But even so the waves continue. I can't hold this up for much longer..it's still too weak. A high pitched whine rolls out my mouth, and I bow downwards, both my arms giving out under me. Lee's screaming behind me, but it's coming out sounding like a strangled gasp. Flakes fall from the shield in front of me..and soon it crumbles completely, the sound waves hitting Lee and I with full force.

"STOP IT!" Sakura screams from behind us.

Lee collapses to the ground behind me, and I follow soon after as I keel over on my side with a loud thump. The Sound Ninjas stopped transmitting the waves, but it doesn't really make a difference. I look at my paw through blurry eyes..my jutsu hasn't been released yet? Well hey..thats somethin else. Come to think of it,my paw is about the size of Lee's head. My animal forms aren't normally huge like this.. Despite the buzzing in my ears, I can still pick up on Sakura's footsteps as she approaches from behind. I have to help her. I need to get up. Lee lies unmoving on the ground near me, and the feeling I get when I look at his bruised and bloody face is indescribable. My paws twitch, and I will myself to get up. I have to, for Sakura, for Lee..and for Naruto and Sasuke. I _have_ to get up...

I have to..

* * *

Third person POV

Team 10 were hiding behind the bushes and had seen the entire fight so far. Despite protests from Ino and Choji, Shikamaru had risen to his knees and peeked over the bush just enough to get a full view. He had seen Amedoru and Sakura face off with three Sound Ninja, had seen Lee come flying in to their rescue..had watched as Sakura protected an unconscious Naruto and Sasuke while Lee and Amedoru tried taking on the Sound Ninja together. He watched as Amedoru transformed into a massive leopard before crouching down next to Lee, waiting for the first move. A hopeful feeling rose in Shikamaru's chest. Animal Style Transformation Jutsu is her strongest weapon..but I've never seen her animal forms like that before..she's huge! Shikamaru thought to himself as he eyed the leopard.

When the Sound Ninja used his sound wave attack on Lee, he held his breath as Amedoru leaped in front of him with a loud growl. He had stood up even higher without realizing it, and Ino had yanked him hard back down to his original height by his jacket-sleeve. Something that was forming right in front of Amedoru caught his eye, and he closed his own briefly and hoped that whatever she was doing would work. But when the both Ame and Lee keeled over on the ground, Shikamaru's heart stopped. He was moved..and even somewhat angry when his best friend picked herself up from the ground without a thought before jumping in between the Sound Ninja and Lee again. A translucent sphere with traces of lightning running all over the outside formed right in front of Amedoru, and he stood up a bit higher, parting away more of the bush. "Ame.." he whispered under his breath, the lightning from her shield reflecting in her eyes. When the sound waves became too much for Amedoru and Lee, he watched as the shield flaked away until it crumbled entirely. Lee collapsed to the ground, and Amedoru followed, landing on her side heavily. The both of them weren't moving.

"No..A-!"

Shikamaru's voice cut off completely, and he threw Ino's hand off his mouth in a fit of anger. He had just watched his best friend go down right in front of him..

"Man, those guys are scary" Choji muttered nervously.

"We're going out there. "Shikamaru said, and his two teammates looked at him, almost taking a step back at the indescribable look in his eyes.

"What, are you crazy?! If those two out there couldn't handle this guy what makes you think we'd stand a chance?!" Ino whisper-yelled. Shikamaru stood back up slowly and cast sad eyes at the still leopard lying on the ground.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing. "Shikamaru bit back. It was quiet a moment. " Amedoru needs me. " he said to himself before looking back down at Choji and Ino, who were looking at him with guilty, understanding faces. "They need us now." Shikamaru said again before thinking quietly to himself. I let this go on too long..I should've jumped in from the start. He stood to stare again at the still form of Amedoru, and the aching weight on his chest nearly suffocated him. He had nearly leaped through the bushes several times, but Ino and Choji always held him back. No matter how much he hated it, he knew they were right in doing so. It was smarter to wait, and to analyze the opponent more so that a strategy could be made. It was smarter, but Shikamaru didn't doubt that it felt incredibly wrong.

* * *

Thump..thump...thump..

What is that? What's happening? All I can see is darkness..where am I?

My eyes flutter open, and they fall on Lee before moving far over to the side. Zaku's slugging Sakura right on the side of her face. My paws twitch again, and I rise slowly, falling down a couple of times. The ninja who used the sound waves on Lee and I starts chuckling lowly under his breath. He presses his foot down onto my side hard, but he lets up all of a sudden.

"You won't get far anyways.."

Streams of blood run down Sakura's face, and I do the only thing I can. I crawl towards her. Zaku finally manages to knock Sakura off him, and she sails in the air a short moment before collapsing to the ground. I make my way over towards her, and when she sees me she gives me a tired smile.

"That one's still not down yet either? Let's finish them then." Zaku says..before three blurs sweep in front of us, blocking Sakura and I from the sound Ninja. I eye the Nara Clan Symbol on the back of the person slightly crouched down in front of me.

It's Shikamaru.

Sakura gapes at Ino's back in total surprise, but all I can do is look at Shikamaru with something warm tightening in my chest. Even as kids we've always had each others backs, never hesitating to jump in when things took a turn for the worse. I remember in particular this time when he and I were eight years old.

_Flashback: 4 years ago_

_"Something happen at home?" Amedoru asked as she brought the swing she was sitting on to a stop. Shikamaru's mouth was formed into a rigid line, and he leaned back a little on his swing and crossed his feet at the ankles._

_"I know my parents mean well..but most of the time it just feels like they're always trying to find something wrong with me. Always nagging at me for something, one way or the other." _

_Amedoru thought a moment before positioning herself on the swing so that she was facing Shikamaru with a leg on either side of the seat._

_"Maybe it's just because they worry a lot, as parents, ya know?" she said, and Shikamaru just nodded his head._

_"Maybe." _

_"Don't let it bring you down too much, Shikamaru. Adults are just..funny sometimes." Amedoru said, and Shikamaru couldn't help but return the small smile she gave him. _

_Two older boys came into view then, and walked until they stopped in front of Amedoru and Shikamaru. _

_"I thought it was that Hatake girl I saw." the boy closest to Amedoru said. He hard long dark hair and a small blue square on the back of each hand. Shikamaru and Amedoru shared a look. Amedoru had never met these boys before, and Shikamaru knew that. __"My older brother doesn't like your brother much." the boy continued. Everyone thinks he's some kind of genius." _

_"He is.." Amedoru said quietly. Her brother was seventeen years old and already an ANBU Black Ops member. Even at her young age, Amedoru knew that most people didn't get in until their late twenties, and sometimes even long after that. The other older boy who was leaning against the swing post snickered under his breath, and the one talking to Amedoru sent him a hard glare, shutting him up immediately. _

_"What do you guys even want?" Shikamaru asked in a bored tone, though the look he was giving both boys was hard._

_"This doesn't concern you" the boy standing near Shikamaru said, and Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in return._

_"Ya know, I don't think this girl is anything like her brother. I bet we can stomp these two right now." the boy in front of Amedoru said, looking at his friend. Amedoru stood up then, and moved back behind the swing with Shikamaru following. He stood beside her, eyes glancing back and forth between the two boys who were moving closer towards them and the dirt road that ran between walls of thick trees, a plan forming in his mind. He looked at Amedoru and dropped his gaze to the ground. Amedoru waited until the boys were just an arms reach away before swinging her leg back and kicking up a huge cloud of dirt as hard as she could._

_"Ah! My eyes, I can't see!" One of the boys yelled. _

_"Let's go!" Shikamaru shouted, and he and Amedoru raced around the two boys and the giant cloud of dust towards the dirt road. As Amedoru was passing, a hand shot out and grabbed her firmly around her arm. _

_"Where do you think you're going?" the boy who had spoken to her earlier gritted, bending his face down with squinty eyes. All of a sudden a fist swung out and crashed against the side of the boy's face. Shikamaru reached behind him to grab Amedoru by the wrist, and the two took off down the dirt road, not stopping even when they were back in the inner part of the village. _

_"I think..we're okay..now" Amedoru huffed as she and Shikamaru leaned against the glass window of a bookshop. _

_"They'll be tasting dirt in their food for a while." Shikamaru said, and the both of them laughed. When both their breathing became even again, Amedoru looked at Shikamaru before her eyes dropped down to his slightly swollen, red knuckled hand_

_"Thanks for sticking up for me. "_

_"Anytime." Shikamaru said with a small smile._

_"It's my fault." Amedoru muttered under her breath, thinking about Shikamaru's hand. She looked up when she felt a fist bump against her shoulder softly. _

_"No it's not, Amedoru." Shikamaru said " Heck, I'd sock that boy a good one again even if I didn't have to." _

_The door to the shop opened next to them, the little bell accompanying it. Kakashi stepped out with a small book in his hands, though when he looked up from it and noticed the two pairs of curious eyes watching him, he was quick to shove the book deep into his pants pockets. _

_"Oh! I-is everything alright?" he asked, noticing how red both of their faces were. _

_"It's kind've a long story." Amedoru said._

_Later, after Kakashi wrapped up Shikamaru's hand back at the Hatake home, he grabbed Shikamaru's shoulder strongly and bent down a little so he could look him directly into his face with an eye-smile._

_"Thank you for looking after Ame for me." _

But right now is completely different than from times like that, back when we were eight years old. I've heard stories about people losing comrades..watching them get cut down right in front of them. I don't really know what that's like , but I wonder what other people feel when they watch as their friends..their best friend, put themselves on the line right between life and death...whether or not the feelings are the same for both. For me right now there are no words.

_"Something wrong, Amedoru?" Kakashi asked as he took a seat next to his sister. She turned to look at him with a disappointed look on her face._

_"It's just.." _

_"What happened earlier with Shikamaru?" Kakashi asked, finishing for her. Amedoru nodded. Not only did she feel disappointed in herself, she felt guilty. Those boys wanted nothing to do with Shikamaru, only her, and because she didn't stand up for herself, Shikamaru had, and had gotten his hand hurt in return. _

_" I feel like I didn't help at all, Hedgehog. If I had done something myself, then Shikamaru wouldn't have hurt his hand." _

_"Hm.." Kakashi hummed before bringing his hand up to rest on Ame's head. " That's what friends do, Amedoru. They help us fight the battles we sometimes can't handle on our own, no matter how big or small it may be, and we do the same for them. And you know what you call working together?"_

_"What?"_

_"Teamwork." _

_A warm breeze blew across Ame's cheeks. "Why do we do that though? Why do friends protect each other?"_

_"Shikamaru's ..very dear to you, right?"_

_"Yeah! He's my best friend!" Amedoru said, loud and fierce. Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair softly._

_"Well there you go then, that's part of the answer right there." He eyed the confused look in her eyes before chuckling softly. "Sometimes what we feel can't be put into words, Ame, but ya know what? I think later on down the road you'll come up with an answer of your, and then maybe you can explain it to me." _

"Eh? So what's this, the second string?" Zaku asks.

"Ino.." Sakura says.

"Surprised? I swore I'd never let you show me up, didn't I?" Ino says with a hint of spite in he voice. Shikamaru turns his head to the side and looks back at me with sad eyes. He turns forward again, focusing on the three Sound Ninja.

"I'm not gunna let them hurt you anymore." he says so softly I almost don't catch it.

"Are we crazy or something? What are we doing here?!" Choji asks frantically. He looks over at Shikamaru with a terrified expression. "These guys are bad news!"

"You just want us to sit back and do nothing?" Shikamaru says.

"Besides, we're a three-man squad, right? All for one and one for all." Ino says with a small chuckle.

"And what happens, will."

"This aint teamwork!" Choji protests. "I call this suicide!" he turns around and tries making a break for it, but Shikamaru's got too tight of a grip on Choji's long white scarf.

"Stop it already, your getting on my nerves!" Shikamaru says in an irritated voice. Sakura and I share a look, and I'm pretty sure she's thinking the same as me: how did they find us?

Zaku starts chuckling. "Better a live sheep than a dead lion, right fatso?" he mocks, looking at Choji. His ears twitch, and Shikamaru and I stiffen some. This Sound Ninja just spoke the forbidden word. He's practically cursed himself now..

"Did I just hear you right? What did that guy just say?" Choji asks in a low voice.

"Oooh man.." Shikamaru mutters.

"You wanna say that again?" Choji asks the Sound Ninja.

"I said to get out while you still can..fatty."

It's quiet now, and I eye the back of Choji's head nervously before shifting them over to the Sound Ninja. Any second now, and Choji's gunna blow his-

"WHO YOU CALLIN' FAT, I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OKAY?!" Choji lets loose an enraged roar before yelling something I can't make out. "Now this is personal!" he says, pointing a shaky finger at Ino and Shikamaru.

"Way to go..now we have to deal with him." Shikamaru says to the Sound Ninja, jerking a thumb over in Choji's direction. The warping, spinning effect's fade from my vision, and instead it's replaced by a steady, back-and-forth sway. But the harsh drilling I still feel at the very front of my head isn't letting up any. Maybe If things keep going as they are I'll be able to get back on my feet again. I hope so.

"Oh don't worry, it won't be for long." Zaku says in a mocking voice, but he scowls as soon as the words leave his lips.

Sakura glances behind her, and I do the same. Naruto and Sasuke are as still as ever.

"Sakura." Ino says as she looks over shoulder subtly. "Your teammates are down. Look after them."

Sakura nods firmly before resting a hand on my paw. Shikamaru turns half of his body around and looks at me with the corner of his mouth tilted upwards.

"We'll take care of these guys. They aren't gunna hurt you anymore, I'll see to that." I lean forward a little and bump my nose against his hand. When Shikamaru says he's gunna do something, he does it. There's not a single part of me that doubts him. I've always believed in him, and I don't plan on that changing anytime soon. Ino calls he and Choji to attention again.

"Battle Formation!"

"Ino-"

"Shika!"

"Cho!"

Choji's the first to make a move, and as he rips through the ground, I remember how Shikamaru had described Choji's Human Expansion Jutsu. Come to think of it, I'm finally gunna get to see how they all work together as a team. The Sound Ninja with the furry back starts sprinting towards Zaku, and I let loose a growl just as Shikamaru follows him before stopping suddenly, capturing him with his Shadow-Possession Jutsu. Shikamaru brings his hands up to rest atop his head before moving his hands to the side. Even as kids he's always liked messing with people using that Jutsu. Ino's Mind-Transfer is really interesting to watch in action though. But after a moment both Ino (in the female ninja's body) and Choji are blasted against the tree trunks with the airwaves coming from the guy with the spiky hair.

"This is bad" Shikamaru says with a hint of panic in his eyes as he looks down at Ino's body. A thin line of blood leaks down her chin.

"I don't get it you guys..how could someone attack their own teammate?" A trace of Ino's voice mixes in with the girl she took over.

"Because we don't play the game by your rules. We aren't here for the scroll or anything else. Just Sasuke." the one with the furry back says. Almost instantly one of my eyes rolls over to side, glancing back at my two unconscious teammates..but there's something strange happening to Sasuke. There's this bright purple aura swirling around him. It's gotta be from that bite. Ino and Choji are still on the ground- Shikamaru's the only one left standing. Some strength returns to me, and my belly rises from the ground a few inches. Shikamaru's shadow withers inwards before backtracking.

"I hate it when it does that!" he says.

"Easy, Amedoru." Sakura coaxes as I try and lift myself up faster, and I look into her worried green eyes. I don't care if my body's ready or not. I'm not gunna let myself just lye here while my friends are getting hurt defending us. There's just no way. I'm more than halfway up when my legs wobble beneath me.

"..so what are gunna do? Kill your own teammate?" Shikamaru asks, and Zaku raises an open hand aimed right at the female team member.

"Well if push comes to shove, yeah."

Shikamaru grits his teeth together as one eyebrow twitches. "Oh man, what a drag."

"Yeah, no kidding." Choji says, rubbing his head.

"Did you really think you could beat us? You ninja are all just a bunch of hacks."

"From a second rate village." the Sound Ninja leader adds in.

"You're one to talk." A voice says from the treetops, and all of us whip our heads around. It's Lee's two teammates. The girl hangs back a little behind the boy, who looks down at all of us with bitter, milky eyes. I know now who he reminds me of-appearance wise. He must be related to Hinata or something. "I guess that makes your village third-ranked. I wonder if you amateurs are ready to take on the real thing." the boy continues.

"It's Lee's team! I wonder'd when they'd get here." Sakura says with a small gasp.

"It looks like someone used my teammate for a punching bag..no one does that!" the boy says in an angry voice as he activates his Byakugan. He's definately a Hyuga..but what's his name? Suddenly my fur spikes up along the length of my back, and for some reason I look back at Sasuke. That strange purple aura around him is even worse now..but that's not what gets my attention first. It's the feeling radiating from it..something evil. It flares up even more until Sasuke's completely hidden by it..and when it parts, he's on his feet again, hunched over.

"Sasuke, you're awake!" Sakura says happily, but all I can do is stare. Whatever's happened to Sasuke..it makes me feel like it's not really him I'm seeing, like there's someone else operating him from the inside. small clods of dirt fly around him, and as he stands up fully his skin turns from its normal fair complexion into a molten, red-orange. Sakura starts whimpering beside me, and I rise up even further, turning around so that I'm facing him more.

"Sakura.." he says all of a sudden in a dark voice, and I swear that she just stopped breathing from right next to me. "Sakura..Amedoru, who did this to you?" he asks again, and his skin returns to it's normal color..though now there are strange black marks all over him. He stares at Sakura and I with glazed over, Sharingan eyes. "Who was it?" he asks again in a harder, angrier voice when neither one of us answers. It's right then that I notice the small collection of blood on either side of me-from my ears, no doubt.

"Sasuke, what's happened to you?" Sakura asks, and he brings his hand up, eyeing the black marks on it.

"Don't worry, I'm alright. It's only the power flowing through me. In fact I've never felt better. He gave me this gift, and he made me understand what I am. I'm an avenger, and to follow my path I must have power at any price-even if it means being consumed in evil."

As much as I don't want to admit it..it's like seeing Sasuke in the shadow of Orochimaru. At least the way he is right now.

"Girls, tell me. Which one of these people did this to you?" Sasuke says, lifting up his head to glare at the three Sound Ninja.

"That'd be me. My buddy stomped the giant cat." Zaku says. Sasuke's eyes focus on him solely, and they're so filled with anger it sends an electrifying jolt down my back.

"Come on, guys, you don't wanna get involved with this!" Shikamaru shouts over to us. Ino and Choji leap behind a bush once Ino's back in her original body, and Sakura backs up closer towards Naruto as Sasuke walks around her. I walk over towards Lee who's lying on his stomach in-between Sasuke and the Sound Ninja, and I release the Transformation Jutsu before picking him up by his waist and slinging his arm over my shoulder. My footsteps are un-even, and the both of us sway to the side some as I walk back towards Sakura. Someone's at Lee's other side in a blur.

"I can take him now. Thank you." the girl says as she slings his other arm over her shoulders, and I nod.

"Thanks Ro-Lee." I say softly, eyeing the side of his unconscious face, and the girl sends me a sorry look before she leaps back up into the trees with Lee. Sasuke gets closer towards the Sound Ninja, and when I finally make it back to Sakura the both of us backtrack towards Naruto, each of us grabbing him by his underarms as we drag him back towards the wall of bushes. Whatever Sasuke's about to do, it's best to stay as far away as possible.

"I'm kind've glad Naruto isn't awake to see all this." I say as I look over at Sakura. She looks at me questioningly. "If he saw Sasuke like this he'd probably loose it." I say, and she turns her eyes towards Sasuke as she bites down hard onto her lower lip. Something rustles quietly in the bushes behind us, and some of it parts away on my side as Shikamaru steps out of it. Ino and Choji appear on the other side near Sakura. Once Shikamaru steps out fully, he squats down next to me and grabs my shoulder, looking at me with anxious eyes.

"Hey buddy." I greet first.

"Amedoru, how you holdin' up?"

"I'm a little banged up, but I'l be fine. I'm more worried about everyone else."

"You guys put up a good fight..I'm sorry we didn't jump in a lot sooner." Shikamaru says as he looks down. I pat the hand holding my shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright." I say, meaning every word of it.

Suddenly one of the Sound Ninja shouts something. It's the one with the holes in his palms. He holds them out as a massive, harsh wave of air comes hurtling at us. Shikamaru's hand slides around both my shoulders as he yanks me down, moving in front of me slightly, trying to shield me from Zaku's attack. But when the wind never comes we all look up. There's a long, deep trench in the ground just like the one from before. Sasuke spits out several fire-balls, and the flames clear, revealing shuriken that slice through the spiky-haired Sound Ninja. In a flash he's pinned under Sasuke under one of his legs. Sasuke yanks on his two arms, and I feel my eyes go wide.

"You seem to be very proud of these arms of yours" Sasuke says with a wide smile. "You must be very...attached to them."

"No.." the ninja beneath him says, looking over his shoulder with huge eyes. "What are you doing?!"

Sasuke yanks harder on both arms, and several loud, sickening crunches echo all around us.

"No way.." Shikamaru mumbles beside me, but I can't even say anything back. I don't know Sasuke very well..but the one in front of us is just not him.

Sasuke tosses the ninja aside, and he lands in a heap a few feet from him. He looks over his shoulder, and the guy who attacked Lee and I looks right back with a look of absolute fear on his face. "Looks like you're the only one left." Sasuke says. "What's that your buddy said about you stomping on Amedoru?" he walks towards the ninja. "I hope you're more interesting than your friend." Sasuke takes more steps, and images of that Sound Ninja's mangled body flash through my mind.

"NOOOO! STOP!" Sakura screams all of a sudden as she launches herself forwards, racing over to Sasuke. When she reaches him she wraps her arms around him from behind, pressing the side of her face against his back. "Don't do it." she says in a broken voice, and no one says anything for a moment-the only sound are Sakura's sobs. Sasuke's head whips around, and he just looks at Sakura without saying anything for a long time..though I'm sure its only been a couple of minutes. All of a sudden the marks on Sasuke fade away.

"Wait..." Shikamaru says nervously as I stand back on my feet.

"It's okay. I have to go see him." I say, and he looks at me a second before nodding, shifting closer towards Naruto as he fills in my place.

"Be careful."

It's much easier to walk now without swaying, and soon I'm crouching down beside Sasuke. He's breathing heavily, and when I place my hand on his shoulder looks at me with slightly widened eyes.

"You are strong, Sasuke." the Sound Ninja in front of us says as he holds out a scroll. "Too strong. We can't hope to defeat you the way you are now. " He kneels down and sets the scroll on the ground. "We'll strike a deal. I'll give you this scroll, and you'll let us go." He backs away and scoops both his fallen teammates in his arms, slinging one over his shoulder. "It would seem we underestimated you, but at least we found out what we need to know. For the moment we are even, but if we should ever cross paths again in combat, I promise you we won't run or hide." And with that he turns around and walks away from us, and as I stare at his retreating back the question that kept me thinking all night pops into my mind.

"Wait, there's something I wanna know. Who is Orochimaru?"

"And what did he do to Sasuke? Why him?!" Sakura shouts. The ninja turns around.

"I don't know." he says slowly. " All I know is that we were told to target Sasuke. And we did." he waits a moment for one of us to say something, and when we don't starts walking away again.

"Just what am I?" Sasuke says to himself as he looks down at the hand he's gripping. Sakura and I share a look over his shoulders.

"GAAAAAH!"

I whip my head around and see Naruto sitting straight up..with a large knot forming on the top of his head. Choji and Shikamaru are sqautted down beside him, and Choji looks at me and laughs nervously before slowly lowering the large stick in his hands. A relived smile turns up the corners of my mouth, and I stand up and start walking towards them.

"Hey, Naruto! It's good to see you up again. How are you-"

"The Grass Ninja! Quick Amedoru, get down! Everybody!..that ninja, where could she be hiding." Naruto says as he gestures for me to hit the ground. He crawls forwards and pauses every few second to whip his head around side to side.

"Naruto?" Sakura asks, and she and Sasuke turn around slowly. Choji walks up behind Naruto and starts poking the stick right onto the large bump on-top his head. Surprisingly though, Naruto doesn't react.

"You really are one of a kind, ya know." Shikamaru says, shoving his hands in his pockets. "And I mean you're the kind that gets on my nerves."

Naruto grumbles a bit before staring at Sakura. He pushes himself off the ground and sprints over towards her, sitting behind her on the ground like a frog. "Sakura, Sakura! Something's happened to you..to your hair!" he turns his head to look at me. "And Amedoru, what happened to you? You look even worse than when we took down that giant snake!"

"Well.." I begin, but Sakura jumps in.

"I just wanted to..change my look." She reaches up a hand and captures her now shortened locks between her fingers, tugging on it. "I like it better long, but in the wilderness like this where I'm moving around all the time? It gets in the way too much."

Naruto hums a second before he looks up at me. Shikamaru and Choji walk up beside Naruto. " We ran into some jerks, but they're gone now." I say. I don't wanna spring everything on Naruto when he just woke up. He'd get too upset.

"So what's your story, Shikamaru?" Naruto asks as he looks over his shoulder. "Why are you guys here in the first place? What's goin on around here?" Shikamaru and Choji sigh.

"Explaining everything to you is gunna be such a pain. "Shikamaru says.

"Everyone's here because they helped us out." I say. Maybe we should tell him what happened. There'es really no good point in keeping it from him.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks. A blur leaps from the treetops and lands on the ground in front of us-Lee and his teammate that got him from me. I walk over and crouch down beside Lee, noticing how the side of his face that took the full blow of the sound-waves is kind've swollen looking.

"Amedoru, thank goodness you are alright. What happened to those Sound Ninja?"

"Ro-Lee." I say as I wrap my arms gently around his shoulders, being careful not to touch the side of his face. " Those Sound Ninja are gone now. How're you feeling? How's your ear?"

He winks at me and gives me a thumbs up, though his toothy grin that always accompanies it is replaced by a lopsided smile. "I feel just fine!"

Sakura walks up softly to the both of us with both hands behind her back. She looks at Lee a moment before giving him a genuine smile. "Thank you, Lee...it was because of you that I was able to stand up for myself. And I think I just became a little bit stronger because of that." She smiles at me next, and I return it. Lee's lips quiver and he shuts his eyes and makes a small whimpering sound. Sasuke walks up beside Sakura and looks down at us with an unreadable expression.

"Thank you, Sakura." Lee says as he wipes his arm across his eyes. "But I guess my efforts alone were not good enough." He and I both look at the ground. A part of me feels like I let my teammates down. I didn't last long against that Sound Ninja...and I wasn't able to protect Lee long enough. Lee says something to Sasuke before he looks at Sakura with a smile. "The Lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice. When we meet again, I will have become a stronger ninja. I promise." Sakura, Sasuke, and Lee's teammate all get puzzled looks on their faces. I've heard Lee use that expression before from a long time ago. But even now I still don't get what exactly he means by it. Ino calls Sakura over so she can fix her hair, so I take a seat next to Naruto with Shikamaru and Choji joining us. I take a moment to look around at all the people around me who came to help us. Some of us have either never met each other before, or don't talk very often, but whether we all know it or not, a solid bond is just beginning to bind all of us together. I'm sure of it. Naruto watches Sasuke and Lee angrily while Shikamaru and I just sit in silence. We don't have to say anything, because the looks on the both of our faces are enough to tell each other how relieved we are that we're all alive.

* * *

"Did you catch one yet?" Naruto shouts down from me, and I put a hand over my eyes before looking up at the large rock he's standing on-top of.

"Why don't you just use a kunai to catch one instead of your hands?" Sasuke calls out to me.

"I like doing it the old fashioned way. I get into it more." I say, looking up at him from the water. Then I look back up at Naruto quickly.

"Nope, not yet. Oh wait, here come's another one!" I shout up to him as I crouch down a little more in the water that comes up to my knees. A fat grey, whiskered cat swims in front of me lazily from up the creek, and I bring a hand up slowly. "Wait..wait." I mutter to myself. The fish comes to a complete stop all of a sudden, and I plunge my hand in the water. My fingertips brush against its tail as it shoots forward. Kakashi and Shikamaru have always been better at this than me, now that I think about it. It stops again, but just as I position my hand in front of it, it shoots out again, so I leap forward into the water and my body creates a loud splash.

"Hey guys, I think she's got one!" Naruto shouts. The fish squeezes out of my hands and jumps up into the air, and Sakura and Sasuke lift their heads up and watch with cocked eyebrows. "Hang on, Amedoru. Shadow Clone Fishing Style Jutsu!"

Several bodies hit the water, and from underneath it I see a dozen or so Naruto's swimming after large groups of fish. The real Naruto swims up beside me before popping back up to the surface. Another fish swims close to my face.

"Is that it? I only caught three, now do it again." I hear Sasuke say from under water, and I pop up beside Naruto with a fish caught in between my teeth. "Here's the fourth. Ready?" I say around the fish. Sasuke takes out another kunai and gets into a throwing position.

"Go ahead."

I toss the fish up into the air and it joins the others that are pinned to a nearby tree trunk.

"I can still eat four fish by myself." Sasuke says, eyeing Naruto. He starts splashing next to me with an irritated look on his face.

"If you think this is so easy how about you come in here and get wet, and Amedoru and I can just stand on the shore, huh?!"

"Sasuke!" Sakura calls in a sing-song voice. "The fire's ready to light, I could use one of your fireballs!"

Sasuke sighs "I gotta do everything around here.." He turns around and walks away, and I climb back onto shore and follow after him. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten in the water fully clothed, but sitting by the campfire should dry me off soon enough. I call back to Naruto over my shoulder who's up to his nose in the water, still stewing over Sasuke:

"Come on out, Naruto! It'll be time to eat soon."

* * *

"It's already been four days since the second exam began." Sasuke pokes a stick into the fire, and even though he looks at it coolly, the worry in his voice is evident.

"That's right." Sakura says

"Well we sure aren't going to break any records. We only have twenty-four hours left."

"I wonder how many of the other teams have gotten their scrolls and finished.." Sakura says, taking a bite out of her fish. " We have to face it..there may not be any more Heaven Scrolls left."

"Well that's a cheerful thought." Sasuke says, and Naruto laughs a little before ripping another chunk out of his fish's side.

"Maybe so, but ..you said it yourself, Sasuke. This is the fourth day we've been out here. That means we've already used up eighty percent of the time we've got to complete the exam! Only thirteen teams could pass because there are exactly that amount of scrolls out there..and with twenty six teams and seventy nine people out looking for them.."

"And that Orochimaru guy burnt the other scroll we had. "I say.

"Yeah, I remember." Sasuke says. All of us set our fish aside, even Naruto.

"All I know is that it's time to get serious. Maybe we've spent too much time resting up from our last battle, but we've gotta be ready for the next team we face. I'm going to get water." Sasuke says as he stand up and heads back towards the creek. I know that right now the chances of finding another scroll are pretty slim, considering the circumstances, after all none of us have any clue how far the other teams have gotten. If we go out and try to look, there's a chance we could run into even more trouble-

"Psst! Amedoru, Sakura!"

"What's up, Naruto?" I ask.

"I think I know how we can do this without having to fight anyone." Okay..that's just a little freaky. Like he's been listening in on my thoughts or something. "Look" he says as he empties his bag, several scrolls falling out.

"Look at what?" Sakura asks, and my brows furrow together a little.

"What do you mean, look at what? They're scrolls! We could change one of them to look like the Heaven Scroll-"

"Stop! Don't even!" Sakura shouts, and Naruto gets a confused look on his face.

"Hm?"

"Even if you could fake the outside, what about what's written on the inside?!"

Sakura does have a point

"You couldn't do that without reading the scroll, and that's against the rules you idiot!"

Naruto rubs his chin with his hand. " Hm..I think I've got this all figured out. I think there's some kind of code written inside that only makes sense if you put both scrolls together! Yeaaah..and that secret code is the password to get into the tower at the end of the exam, get it?"

Sakura yells some more at Naruto, and's quiet a moment before he looks between Sakura and I with glint in his eyes. " But we do know what's inside the Heaven Scroll.."

"The Earth Scroll." I pipe up, and Naruto nods with a small smirk.

"You wouldn't .." Sakura says.

'It's our only chance. I'm gunna open and read this scroll."

With a small shriek Sakura leans over and slams her fist down hard onto the top of Naruto's head.

"I see where you're getting at, but I don't know...the idea of opening that scroll gives me an off feeling. Anko could've put some kind of curse jutsu on it for all we know." I say, though the idea itself of not knowing gives me an even greater "off' feeling than before.

"But if we don't do anything we'll never make it!" Naruto protests, and we all fall silent as we stare at the pile of scrolls lying in a heap on the ground. After a moment Naruto reaches out and snags one from the ground, and Sakura and I peer over his shoulders at it. A drop of sweat slides down Naruto's face, and I wish I could just do my Shield Jutsu and put it around him..but I can't because it would have to cover over the scroll too. His thumb slides into the opening, and after a couple heartbeats the outer layer starts peeling off. Something still doesn't feel right..

"Don't do it." I say as I lean over Naruto and press my hand down on the scroll. A blur rushes out of the trees next to us and my hand is weighed down by something covering it.

"I wouldn't do that If I were you."

Kabuto sends me a small smile, and I slide my hand out from under his. Sasuke rushes over towards us with a raised kunai, but once he sees who our ..visitor is, he lowers it. He and Kabuto talk shortly, and once we're all done explaining what was happening, Sasuke looks at us with a slightly disappointed look.

"I can't believe you guys. "

"If I hadn't come along..." Kabuto says.

"Sorry Sasuke." Sakura says, and Naruto mumbles and apology under his breath.

"I'm sorry." I say, though my eyes never leave Kabuto. What the heck is he doing here?

"Things have been happening to teams who've opened the scrolls and read them. I've seen them." Kabuto says. "They're protected by a powerful Hypnosis Jutsu, the kind of booby trap for anyone who's unwise enough to read them. It'll knock you senseless, and by the time you wake up, the exam is over."

"You didn't just stumble across on by accident, you've been looking for us. Why? Did you come here to warn us?" I ask, watching him carefully. I don't care that he just saved Naruto, Sakura and I from some Hypnotic Jutsu, he's up to something. I can feel it.

"Kabuto, right?" Sasuke asks before he can answer me. " We met before at the registration..in addition to Amedoru's question, what are you doing wandering around by yourself?"

"Don't worry, I'm not after your Earth Scroll. And to answer her question, I was in the area and smelled the fire, and when I got close enough to investigate, I saw you guys with the scroll." Kabuto says as he looks at me with a straight face, though there's something he's hiding behind his eyes.

"So you're looking for a Heaven Scroll too, huh?" Sasuke asks, and Kabuto reaches behind him.

"Not really. I already have them both."

How did he get those on his own? I don't see any of his teammates wandering around.

"I had a run of luck. In fact, I was just on my way to the tower to wait for my teammates to show up. So if you'll excuse me.." he turns around and begins walking away.

"Hold it." Sasuke says, and sigh softly under my breath. How come he can't just let Kabuto go? He stops and looks over his shoulder.

"I'll fight you for it. "Sasuke says, and before I can help it the image of that bright purple aura and those blotchy black marks all over him pop into my mind, and when I force them out I can only see Sasuke standing in a fighting position, normal looking as he's always been. Well, until recently..

"You'll fight me for it?"

Sakura, Naruto and I all speak at the same time:

"Sasuke.."

"Is this some kind of joke or something?!."

"At least take a moment to think this through."

"Are you serious?" Kabuto asks, fully facing us now.

"Positive. Now's not the time to play nice."

"Back off, Sasuke!" Naruto yells. "In case you forgot, this guy saved our butts!"

"Naruto's got a point. We don't want to be ungrateful or anything." Sakura says.

"Then lets just go our own, separate ways." I look at Sasuke.

"Shut up." He says as he scans his eyes over Sakura, Naruto, and me. "It can't be helped. It's either him, or us. In here nothing else matters except surviving and winning."

Well I just hope Sasuke takes Kabuto down, because I don't wanna see him again anytime soon.

"You're heart really isn't in it for all your tough talk. If winning was the only thing that mattered to you, why openly challenge me to a fight? Why announce it and put me on my guard instead of just jumping me when my back is turned? After all , that's what a ninja would do." Kabuto smirks as he pusses his glasses back up his nose.

"That's pretty deep." Naruto says.

"It's okay. I actually kind've admire you for it. So here's what I'll do. I'll show you the path you should follow. But let's go, it's best if we get outta here. The smell of that cooking fire is going to attract all the wild beast in the forest. And not only animals, but the competition too. "

Sasuke shrugs and falls into step behind Kabuto, and Naruto and Sakura share a look before following. I still don't get a good feeling about Kabuto, and before I'd think it was just me or something..but lately my gut feelings have helped get me out of trouble instead of the other way around. Kabuto just showed up and gave us all sorts of information back at the registration, thats one incident. It could be a coincidence that he showed up here at our camp, and once again offered to help us out. He hasn't said anything yet, but it's obvious he wants something from us. Why would he go to all this trouble otherwise? I look back at our small campfire. I helped Sakura arrange the sticks like Shikamaru's dad taught me in a particular way so that the flames wouldn't be too high, and animals _wouldn't_ be attracted by it..

"Hey Amedoru, come on!" Naruto yells back to me, waving a hand. Everyone's already way up ahead.

"Be right there. " I say quietly.

* * *

"You think there are still other candidates out here?" Sasuke asks. We're traveling by tree top now, and moving faster than usual.

"Oh yeah. Just think about it. What do you think is the most efficent way of finding the scrolls in an area as large as this? To go searching through the forest for them? " I hear Kabuto ask from the very front.

"Um..no?" Sakura says.

"No. You wait for _them_ to come to _you_. The Tower at the center of the forest is the goal, right? So on the last day of the exam that area will be crawling with teams converging on the tower with their scrolls."

"Oh yeah, I get it!" Sakura says excitedly. " Like an ambush! So we just head for the tower, find a hiding place, and when a team comes along with the Heaven Scroll we jump 'em and take it."

"But remember, you guys won't be the only team doing this."

"Whoever comes, we can take 'em!" Naruto says "I wouldn't want this tp be too easy, that woudln't be any fun.."

Naruto, Kabuto, and Sakura continue talking up front, but Sasuke and I don't say a word. Sasuke's probably going over everything in his head, and I can't get what Kabuto just said out of mine.

_"..you wait for them to come to you." _

Something about those words isn't sitting right with me.

"..oh, I think I see why you brought us along with you." Sasuke says, and I snap out of my thoughts. I picked up on the basics Kabuto was saying before about the Collectors, but honestly I ignored the rest. " It's because you're frightened, aren't you?"

Kabuto laughs "You bet I am."

We travel on at the same speed until nightfall, when Kabuto stops all of a sudden and motions downwards. We all hop down from the tree and land softly, the tower in full view.

"There's the tower, and that means the end is in sight." Kabuto says, and my eyes flicker over to him as soon as that last part leaves his mouth. "Now comes the hard part. "

"Well it's about time! Bring it on!" Naruto yells with a fist raised to the sky. Something behind us splinters the bark off a tree, and I whip around.

"Something's there." I say, and Naruto flings a kunai right into the head of a giant, no, massive centipede.

"False alarm, it's just a centipede." Naruto says.

"That's the biggest one I've ever seen." I say, and Sakura wiggles her fingers nervously.

"That creepy thing's bigger than a bus!"

"Hey Naruto, do us a favor and try to keep it down to a low roar." Kabuto says, and Naruto looks up at him questioningly. " You see the whole point is to not let anyone know we're here. If you go crashing through the forest like an elephant, you'll draw collectors like flies. We wanna find them before they find us. Look at your friend for example, she's hardly said a word since we set off." Kabuto looks up at me all of a sudden, and very slowly the corners of his mouth lift.

"Oh y-yeah, I see. "

"Take it slow and quiet. Let's use all the time we've got left. "

"Right"

"Okay"

"Got it"

"Let's do it then." I say. Kabuto says it would be easier to scope the area split up, so while Kabuto takes the trees, Sakura and Sasuke the land, and Naruto the water, I take to the sky as a small, dark-colored bird. Something that's not completely obvious. I don't spot anything unusual, and when we all meet back up again, Kabuto points up into the trees where two ninja lye spread out on the branches with kunai embedded in them.

"A trap." Sasuke says, and Kabuto nods before walking ahead.

"And it only gets worse from here."

Naruto lets out a yell from behind me, but before I can turn all the way around, Kabuto beats me to Naruto first. He throws himself over Naruto, and all the kunai from the trap sink into his back, some into the back of his head.

"Kabuto!" Naruto yells before a laugh from up above makes the both of us turn our heads in it's direction.

"That was close." Kabuto says, perfectly fine.

"A Substitution Jutsu!" Naruto gasps.

"Like I told you, it only gets worse from here on in."

He hops down from the branch, and we all continue walking toward the tower. Sakura falls to the ground all of a sudden, and when I bend down next to her several drops of sweat drip to the ground.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" Naruto asks as he bends down on her other side.

"Is it just me or is that tower not getting any closer?" she huffs out, and we all stop to look at it. She's right. I don't need a clock to tell me we've spent enough time walking. We should've reached it by now.

"I was thinking the same thing." Naruto says.

"It seems we've been spotted." Kabuto says as he looks around. "Somebody is playing games with us. Ring a bell?" he points over to the side.

"There's no way.." I begin. Have we been walking in a giant circle or something? How could I have not noticed that?! The giant centipede from before remains just as dead as it became earlier when Naruto's kunai embedded itself in the head.

"It can't be!" Naruto says "Hey, what's the big idea? "

"What's going on?" Sakura asks in a scared voice.

"Gen-Jutsu" Sasuke pipes up all of a sudden. Yes, that's gotta be it. That's the only thing that makes sense.

"Yes that seems like it." Kabuto says. "And we fell for it completely. We were so concerned with not being seen by anyone, that we didn't see we were walking around in circles. They're probably trying to wear us down so they can strike when we're frustrated and physically exhausted. "

"They should be coming soon, then." I mutter, and Kabuto gives a single, firm nod.

"Right."

Something sounds like someone stepping into a pile of soggy leaves.

"That's gotta be them. " I say, but even as I look around, I can't see anything. I retrace over everything when I see it- someone's climbing out of the branches. More of them pop up, some from the trees, and the others from the bushes and the ground. They all stumble towards us, completely surrounding us, and the closer I look the more that mouthpiece all of them are wearing remind me of someone. That's right, they're almost exact copies of that ninja who pretended to be Naruto!

"Well Naruto." Sasuke says "You wanted a fight.."

"Hmph. Four against forty. I like these odds. And since Kabuto's with us, that makes our side even stronger."

"And here's the thing that tops it all off." I say, looking at Naruto. He looks back at me with a smirk and excited, expectant eyes.

"Whats that, Amedoru?"

" All these guys are clones of the one who pretended to be you from earlier."

"Well I'm going to show them who the real Naruto Uzumaki is, believe it!"

One of them chuckles.

"Like cornered rats!"

"Huh? Oh yeah? Cornered rats, are we?!" Naruto says, lunging forward with a fist outstretched. As soon as Naruto's punch collides with the clones gut, it's eyes grow wide.

"That's showin' em!" Sakura shouts. "Way to go!"

But wait, if these are clones, then why hasn't the one Naruto punched poofed away yet?

Naruto stumbles forward with a small yell before falling to the ground. His punch just went straight through that clone..but instead of disappearing, out of the sticky hole Naruto's fist made a second clone sprouts up from it kind've like conjoined twins, holding out a couple of kunai. What are these guys made out of, mud or something? Sasuke, Sakura and I huddle closer together so that we're back to back after Sasuke activates his Sharingan. The clone Naruto attacked twists around with it's kunai raised high, and I give a startled gasp.

"Naruto, watch out!" Sasuke shouts as he throws a kunai, severing the clones arm. Another kunai comes sailing right for Sasuke, but instead of moving he stands petrified with widening eyes.

"Get down!" Kabuto yells as he throws himself over Sasuke, knocking them both to the ground. Sakura bends down next to Sasuke, so I plant my feet apart and stand in front of them. Everywhere I turn, clones are all I see. We're completely surrounded, both from above and below. One of them tells us to give up our scrolls, and soon it's like the frog effect. One starts croaking, and the rest follow with the same melody.

"This isn't looking so good." I say.

"The fact that Kabuto's wounded means these things are real shadow clones." Naruto says, glancing back at me. "But the thing with Shadow Clones is that they're supposed to vanish when you attack them..but these things don't!"

"Do you think we'd have a chance if you made some of your own?" I ask. I've seen just how many Shadow Clones Naruto make, and it's amazing. There's no doubt he can make a whole lot more than the forty surrounding us.

"I dunno..this could be a Gen-Jutsu or something like before...come get it!" Naruto shouts, but just as brings his arm back to throw a kunai Sasuke leans forward and shouts out to him:

"No, don't do it. You'll only be fighting illusions. It's Gen-Jutsu, alright."

"But that gash on Kabuto's arm is real enough!" Sakura says as she shoots up. I scan over the group of clones. Gen-Jutsu can't work if there isn't someone to cast it, so where could the real person be hiding? I think they'd have to be pretty near, otherwise they couldn't put the Jutsu over us.

"It's true, but Sasuke's still right." Kabuto says, clutching his arm. " Could be..the real enemy's in hiding."

"I was thinking the same." I say. " And whoever they are have gotta be pretty close, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to put this jutsu over us."

"Well what are we gunna do, just stand here?! Let's go find these clowns and take care of 'em!"

"Hang on, Naruto! These people want nothing more than for us to go searching for them blindly through the forest while they sit back and take us out one by one...in fact, I know this kind of attack. It's used by those who are weak in Tai-Jutsu and are afraid of close, hand-to-hand combat, according to my data."

"What if we all attacked at once?" I suggest, but Kabuto shakes his head.

"No, it'd be too easy for them to gang up one each one of us. We have no choice..we have to stand our ground and fend off their attacks." He does have a point..besides, I forgot that if you strike one, another just grows from where you hit it.

"Whatever, lets just do it!' Naruto says as he brings his kunai down to his chest."

A spray of kunai all comes flying at us, and when a couple reflect off my kunai it send a vibration up my arm. Just when the shower stops and we're all breathing heavy, another one comes flying at me, and I duck down just in time for it to sink deep into the tree trunk behind me.

"Man..how long is this gunna go on?!" Sakura huffs.

Naruto brings his hands up next to me. " Okay Amedoru, I think it's time now."

"No, don't do it." I say, and Kabuto steps forward.

"You'll only be wasting your chakra. By trying to fight these things you'll be doing just what they want."

"If we were to eliminate all the illusions, whoever's been hurling the kunai at us wouldn't be able to do it again without showing us where they're hiding. I'll show you..two can play at this game. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Kabuto shakes his head and brings a hand up to his face. "Let's just give it a chance." I say as several Naruto's...dozens even, appear all around me. They all charge towards the enemy clones, and when they reach them each Naruto wastes no time stabbing, punching, and overall beating the snot out of our enemy. A fallen clone rises again suddenly, and I throw my kunai at it's head, watching it fall a second time.

"Shouldn't we help him?" I hear Sakura ask.

"Jerk.." Sasuke mutters. " He's given us no choice, we have to now."

"Well that's that then, we fight!" Kabuto says, and I charge towards another group of rising clones.

"Backup comin' your way, Naruto!" I shout. A clone swings out its arm and I duck under it, slicing my kunai down it's side while I kick my leg into the gut of another one coming up behind me.

" All right!" all the Naruto's shout excitedly. One of his clones races over towards me and whispers in my ear, and when I look around afterward I find my teammates and Kabuto and give them a firm nod.

* * *

We fight long into the night, and by mid-morning my team, Kabuto and I all sway on our feet. Sasuke falls to his knees behind me while a clone lifts me by the front of my shirt and tosses me back, and I land flat on my back next to Sakura who grabs my arm and helps me sit up slowly. Naruto lands on the ground in front of us with a loud thump, but he sits up on his elbows almost as soon as he lands.

"I'm just gettin' warmed up." he says as we all breathe heavily.

" They should be ..retreating..soon. It's the fifth..day." I say in between huffs, and everyone just nods. The clones in front of us start fading away, and a new thought comes to me. " Or they've just waited until now to finish us off." I say, and sure enough, once the wall of clones finish evaporating three ninja appear in their place. One in particular, I recognize immediately.

"Hey, I know you!" he says, taking a step forward. " You're the one who cut me on the shoulder." he looks from Sasuke to me. " And you're that girl who likes to turn into beasts." He focuses on Sasuke again and holds up a kunai. "That really messed me up, ya know. But oh well, now I can finally pay you back. With interest. "

Any second now

* * *

"Well well..who's the cornered rats now?"

"Worked like a charm, Naruto."

"That, my friend, was some brilliant thinking." I say as my team, Kabuto, and I all hop out from our hiding spots.

"But..but how?!" the ninja holding the kunai stutters.

"Confused?" Naruto asks. " Sorry, but it was the only way to get you to come out of hiding." All five of our clones poof away, and instead turn into a handful of Naruto's. "The Shadow Clone's were only the first part of it. My real trick was coming up with clones for the rest of my squad."

"While our clones took the beating, we were safe and sound, waiting for you to show yourself." Sasuke says. "Whattya think, guys? I think our plan worked. "

Naruto falls down to a knee. "Easy, Naruto." I call out to him, and Sasuke nods from beside me.

"You've used up too much chakra . Don't worry, we've got 'em."

Naruto, however, springs up from the ground faster than I can blink, and all three ninja who attacked us slide across the ground from a single punch. "After all the work I've done, I'm not just gunna sit back and let all you guys have all the fun." he says. Logic tells me that Naruto shouldn't even be able to move this easily after all that chakra he used, but I just tell myself that that's just Naruto for you, always bouncing back.

"Ha..not bad, but that doesn't mean this is over." the ninja says, and he as well as his two teammates all make the same hand sign. This doesn't look good.. "Remember, we're still feeling lucky. And besides, time's running out for all of us. So we'll just have to take the gloves off and show you our Nin-Jutsu. Ninja Art! Clone Jutsu!"

"Shadow Clones?" Naruto asks as they all surround us again, and I leap away from Sakura, Sasuke, and Kabuto to stand next to Naruto.

"Uh uh, real clones. Don't waste your strength, bonehead. Let them make the first move. " Sasuke calls out.

"If these are the real clones-"

"The real ones should be mixed in with these guys." I finish for him.

" All we gotta do is smash our way through until these guys squeal, Amedoru."

"No, don't!-" Sasuke shouts out

"Stay off my back, I can handle this!" Naruto shouts before taking off.

"Naruto, come back!" I shout, but he's already working his way through the clones, though all his punches go right through them.

"Transformation Jutsu! Animal Style!' I yell before I hit the ground and take off after him. He can't be alone in there by himself with all those clones. Footsteps rush up beside me, and Kabuto and I leap into the center of the mess. As soon as Naruto sees us he rushes over, and the three of us stand back to back, with Naruto still trying to punch his way through the clones. Where could the real ninja be hiding? Somewhere behind the clones like last time? It occurs to me suddenly that I just leaped into a mess I have no idea how to solve. I bristle at something being held up to my neck, and when I twist around I see that Kabuto's the one holding it with something like a small smile. My eyes widen. I knew something was off about- he disappears suddenly, but before he's completely gone I see the kunai sticking out of his shoulder. Wait..he wasn't trying to kill me..he saved me.

"Hey! Kabuto, you okay?!" I hear Naruto yell, and I make my way over to him. I didn't notice it before, but looking at Kabuto now curled up on the floor, I notice all the cuts all over his body. From the looks of it, he was protecting Naruto too.

"Now you're gunna pay!" he growls.

"No, Naruto! You can swing at these guys all day, but you're just gunna be wasting your time on them. The real ones..aren't there." Sasuke grits out. He;s got a hand clamped down hard onto the side of his neck..that mark must be bothering him.

"What are you talking about, that last attack didn't come from any clone. Of course they're here, they've gotta be! And if they're not, then where are they?!"

"Use your head! If I knew that we wouldn't be in this fix!"

Naruto drops down to one knee again, and I release my jutsu. "We've gotta get out of here and get back to others." I say, crouching down next to Naruto. All of a sudden a pair of hands shoot up from the ground and latch onto my ankles, and with a startled gasp I slice my kunai through the arms. Naruto yells from right behind me, and I duck down just in time to avoid his leg as it swings out and knocks all the clones around me to the ground, where they disappear in a poof of smoke.

"Thank you, Naruto. You saved my neck" Kabuto says as he sits up and rubs the back of his neck with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks Naruto." I say. " Hey, Kabuto kinda reminds me of Iruka-Sensei with the cut across his nose" I say. My feelings about Kabuto haven't changed..but he did risk his life to save mine and Naruto's. That's gotta count for something.

Sakura cheers on from next to Sasuke, and Naruto flops down to the ground on his backside.

"Nice work, champ." I say with a smile, and Naruto lazily waves his hand, though a grin stretches across his face.

"Eh, it was nothin'."

* * *

"Hey guys, here it is! A Heaven Scroll, just what we were looking for!" I hear Naruto shout out, and I hop down from the tree I was keeping watch from.

"Well would you look at that." I say. " Nice job, Naruto."

"Good for you!" Kabuto says excitedly. I notice Sasuke looking at Kabuto from the corners of his eyes, like he's analyzing him or something, and when he finally looks away, he gives me a look that tells me he's got some off feelings about Kabuto too.

"Does this mean we can finally move ahead again?" Sakura asks.

"Yeah. I saw the tower when I was up in the tree. It's up ahead, not too far from here." I say

"Well lets get this show back on the road!" Naruto shouts excitedly, and I can't help but laugh as I take to the sky in bird-form as the rest of my team and Kabuto leap into the branches and follow from behind. The tower gets closer every second, and when it's finally right in front of us, I land next to Naruto as Sakura helps Sasuke up the steps leading to the front entrance.

"Kabuto, there you are." A voice says from the bushes. Two ninja step out. Kabuto 's teammates, most likely. "You're late."

"Sorry about that." Kabuto says as he walks towards them. My teammates and I all share a quick look with each other. "We got a little..sidetracked."

"And boy, are we glad we did." Naruto says. "After all it was thanks to you that we got both scrolls."

"Not really, you did most of it on your own. Especially you, Naruto. Veery impressive." Kabuto drawls out, but while Naruto grins and starts chuckling to himself, I can't ignore the strange glint in Kabuto's eyes as he looks at Naruto.

"Oh..and Amedoru, right?" Kabuto asks as he, plus his teammates look at me.

"..yeah?"

"It's just that you remind me of someone." He rubs his chin with a finger. " That's right! Amedoru Hatake- Kakashi's your brother."

"Yeah." I said a bit awkwardly. I would ask him how he knows my brother..and how he even knows my full name, but Kabuto looks only a couple of years younger than Kakashi, so maybe they had classes together or something. Plus, he did say back at the Academy that he has info-cards on all ninja taking the exams, and that includes me.

"Anyway, this is the door we go through." Kabuto says, looking at the door next to him. "Good luck to us both."

"Right!" Naruto says, and Kabuto holds out an upturned thumb. And as he opens the door and walks through it with his teammates, I wonder if all teams have to go through separate doors. And if so, why?

"We made it through, guys." I say ,grasping one of the door handles. Naruto grabs the other one.

"Finally" Sakura sighs with a smile.

Naruto and I push the doors open, and all four of us walk inside. At first everything in front of me is hidden behind all the bright light from outside, but when my eyes adjust I see that we're standing in an empty room, with what looks like a giant piece of a scroll hanging on the wall far in front of us.

"Hey, what's goin on here? Where's everyone else?" Naruto asks.

I take walk closer towards the front wall. " Check this out." I say, and Sakura comes up beside me and starts reading aloud.

"If qualities of Heaven are what you desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are opened together, the perilous path will be righteous forever. This..something..is the secret way that guides us from this place today."

"Is there a word missing or something?" I ask.

"It looks like it" Sakura says. " It's about the scrolls, so I think..we're supposed to open and read the Heaven and Earth Scrolls now."

Naruto takes both from his pouch, and hands one to me. We look at each other a moment before I drop my gaze down to the scroll, slipping my thumb inside the opening flap. A drop of sweat falls down and lands on it, creating a small, soggy dot.

"Okay..here we go." I say, and Naruto nods firmly, though he's still making that nervous sound in the back of his throat. And maybe my heart is beating too loud and too fast, but I'm pretty sure I'm making strange, nervous sounds of my own.


	16. Exams pt3:Preliminaries-Opponent Chosen!

**_Its good to update again. I would have posted sooner, but honestly that last chapter wore me out. I've never written one so long before! Anyways, this chapter doesn't have a lot of action with Amedoru, but I didn't want to just jump into her battle. I made it to where she's one of the very last to battle-right before Lee, so I included All of Team 7's battles, as well as Shikamaru's so I could write in it Amedoru's POV and put in her reflections and feelings about them. This was kind've a hard chapter to write, but I've decided that the next chapter will mainly focus on Ame Action hehe. Oh! And I recently got a rottweiler pup..and yes, I named him Akino:) ~Lastoftheamericandreamers._**

* * *

_ ( Age 10)_

_Shikamaru hissed in pain as he lifted up his leg to get a closer look at the mottled green and black snake coiled around it. Amedoru put a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder before running a hand through her hair with a panicked expression on her face. The both of them had just been sitting on the log trying to dry off in the open summer sun after Amedoru waded into the water to get a closer look at a couple turtles floating on a piece of driftwood. Shikamaru had opted for watching silently on the waters edge, but had followed Ame in nonetheless after she turned her head around to look at him with a quick wave of her hand. Shikamaru had been wringing out the excess water in his shirt when a dark blur shot out from underneath the log, and four tiny white-hot stabs of pain sunk into the tender skin above and below his ankle bone. His leg had jerked forward out of reflex, and the mottled snake made quick work of coiling itself around Shikamaru's ankle and part of his foot._

_The sunlight rippled off the snake's skin as it coiled even tighter around Shikamaru's ankle, and Amedoru brought her hands up to form a sign just as Shikamaru heaved before turning around and vomiting onto the other side of the fallen log._

_"Sup kid. Whatcha need me for?" Akino asked as soon as the smoke around him cleared. He dipped his head so that his shades slipped down his snout, and once he saw the state both Amedoru and Shikamaru were in, his eyes widened.  
_

_"Akino, I n-need you to find K-K-Kakashi. Tell him what happened a-and have him meet us up the p-p-path" Amedoru stammered out in a voice that was higher up in pitch out of anxiety. With a quick nod of his head, Akino vanished. _

_Amedoru kneeled down on one knee and pinched the snake on the top of its head and on the underside of its jaws. _

_"Hang on, Shikamaru. You're gunna be okay." she said in a calmer voice, and Shikamaru grit his teeth and gave a small nod, watching as Amedoru's other hand quickly, but hesitantly reached for the snake. His stomach was still in knots, but nonetheless, his trust in Ame was unending._

_Beads of sweat formed on her head as she slipped her index finger into the side of the snakes mouth, and almost instantly it widened enough for the tip of her finger to slip out the other side. She had never done something like this before..but something inside her just seemed to know how to take care of it, guiding her, in a way. Shikamaru hissed slightly as the top two fangs slid out of his skin._

_"Almost there." Amedoru said as she pushed her finger father back into the snakes mouth, so that the top fangs were over the side of her finger instead of sinking into it. She yanked down onto the snake, and the bottom fangs came out with a lone, thin strand of clear fluid dripping from it. The snake's coils loosened, and Amedoru took her hand off them so she could clamp her thumb and index finger onto the snake's head, one finger on the top, the other on the bottom. She slid out the finger inside the snakes mouth and tugged on it hard until the snakes body relaxed entirely, and she was able to yank it off Shikamaru. She threw it as far as she could out into the water, and when she kneeled down again next to Shikamaru's ankle he looked down at her with the corner of his mouth tilted upwards._

_"When'd you learn to do that?" _

_"Years of experience" Amedoru joked with a quick smile._

_" There's some..some grayish-green grass just off the side of the um, path, I think." Shikamaru said slowly as he gestured subtly with his head. "It'll help."_

_"Got it." Amedoru said as she took off towards the trees. After a moment she came back with the grass, and without a word pressed it against the bite on Shikamaru's ankle before wrapping it up with a long strip of white bandage she had in her pouch. _

_"Kakashi'll be coming soon." She said as she stood up and turned around so that her back faced Shikamaru. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms loosely around her neck, and Amedoru took a step forward before reaching behind her to grab a hold of his legs. She stumbled on her feet from the extra weight, but regained balance quickly. Shikamaru needed her. Amedoru glanced to the side at his face that rested next to hers and noticed how much his skin had paled since getting the bite. _

_"Just hang in there, I gotcha" she said softly before she quickened her pace and began talking about all sorts of things, from the different hues of green in the tree leaves to how many bowls of ramen she saw Naruto chugging down at Itchi Raku's. Anything to keep Shikamaru from thinking about the bite too much. Amedoru trailed off a moment as the memory of being carried on Kakashi's back down a path like this with his gentle voice filling her ears popped into her head. In a way, the roles were reversed this time. Amedoru glanced to the side again where Shikamaru was staring up ahead with a sleepy expression as a gentle breeze drifted over her face and combed invisible fingers through her hair. I've got you..she thought again to herself. Her steps became stronger and even more quicker, and she stared out up the road. Suddenly the terrain became steeper as it inclined upwards into a hump , and Shikamaru craned his head a little to the side._

_"What a drag, huh?"_

_Amedoru laughed "I'll have calves even Ro- Lee will be jealous of."_

_Two pairs of rapid footsteps came rushing from up the path, and the top of Kakashi's spiky hair came into view following the rest of him with Akino right beside them, his pointy ears flopping. Amedoru tightened her grip on Shikamaru before she burst into a jog._

_"There you guys are!" Kakashi called as he slowed to halt. Amedoru skidded to a stop in front of him, slightly panting. "Akino told me what happened. We'll take Shikamaru to the hospital." _

_"No, not there. The analysis lab's better. They'll have an anti-venom." Shikamaru said softly, his words slurring together slightly. _

_"Let's go, then" Amedoru said with new strength as she took off down the road with Kakashi and Akino following behind after they shared a quick look with each other._

_"Ame, maybe I should.." Kakashi said after a moment after catching up to her with ease, nodding his head towards Shikamaru. _

_"It's okay, I wanna carry him. I can do it." Amedoru said eagerly as she looked back at her brother, and Kakashi stifled a sigh at the worried, yet strong look in her eyes. Kakashi nodded at her, and the group continued on down the path._

* * *

My teammates and I form a small circle with equally anxious expressions. Sasuke's face remains solid, though there's a hint of nervousness in his eyes. Naruto gulps, and when I look up I'm met with a unique color combination. Blue, green, and black. When they all nod their heads once firmly, a small, yet deep breath fills my lungs. With one quick pull, the contents of the scroll finally becomes visible. Sakura gasps as Naruto and I hold our scrolls up side by side, comparing them.

"What the..what does this mean?" he asks.

Sakura peeks over my shoulder. " A man? Maybe a person?"

I stare at the heavily drawn symbol in the middle of the scroll just as it bubbles up with a thin line of steam rising from it.

"Oh no. It's a-"

"Summoning Jutsu" I finish for Sasuke, eyeing the small scribbled writing written all the way around the symbol. The thin line of steam thickens as the bubble in the paper starts splitting open. Not good, not good..

"I'm just gunna toss this." I say as the scroll leaves my hands.

"Naruto, get rid of yours!" Sasuke shouts at him, and Naruto flings it away with a startled expression on his face. As soon as his scroll lands on mine, the smoke from both mixes together until a giant, twisting cloud is made. A pair of sandal-clad feet come into view, followed by the distinct green color of a flack jacket. Please be Kakashi..please be Kakashi...

"No way..it's you!" Sasuke says, and I glance over at him quickly. I squint to try and see more through the smoke, but a familiar voice calls out from it.

"Hey. Long time no see, huh?"

"Iruka..Sensei?" I ask. What part does he have in the exams? It's really good to see him, but I thought he only worked with the Academy students. Well, he is a Chunin, so I really shouldn't be surprised to see him.

"Looks like you've gone through a lot in this test." he says as his eyes rake over us with half his mouth curved upwards.

"Hey, what's the deal with the surprise entrance? Why are you appearing with a summoning?" Naruto asks.

"At the end of the second exam, we Chunin are supposed to welcome the test takers back. And well, it was just good luck that I got to be the one given the important task of being the messenger for you guys!" Iruka-Sensei says as he walks closer towards us.

"Wonder what the message is" I mutter to myself as he pulls out something small and metallic from his pocket, flipping it open. Hm..it kind've looks like a pocket watch or something,

"Whoo..and you made it just in time." Iruka-Sensei says. "And now .." His voice trails off, and I swallow a bit nervously. It's like being brought back to the Genin Test, where he had looked a me a moment without saying anything, until he finally said with a smile- "Congratulations! You pass the second exam!" When none of us say anything except for a couple gasps, he continues " And to celebrate his event, I would love to treat you guys to some Itchi Raku Ramen, but I-"

"RAMEN?! SERIOUSLY?!" Naruto shouts as he leaps forward and tackles Iruaka-Sensei around the middle. "That's so cool!'

"Wait, I'm not finished yet! Hey, let go. Naruto!"

Naruto pulls away, but his cheers carry on, and I can't help but smile at the whole thing. Despite all he's just been through..it's just good to see he's still just as full of energy and life as he was before. "..oh man this is gunna be great, especially after all the bugs and plants we've had to eat the past two days..so gross! I'm gunna eat every noodle ever made!" Sakura sinks to her knees on the ground slowly with a tired sigh, and Sasuke eases himself downwards slowly.

"Where does he get all this energy?" he asks.

"There's gotta be something in that ramen" I say in return, and he rolls his eyes and scoffs in amusement.

Naruto spins around to face us with his hands on his hips and a goofy grin on his face.

"Ugh..shut up!" Sakura groans.

"All right..well I can see you're still as hyperactive as ever, Naruto." Iruka-Sensei says in a fond voice. Sasuke snorts under his breath.

'Now I see. So then if we had looked at the scrolls in the middle of the exam, what would you have done to us, Iruka-Sensei?"

Huh..I didn't think of that. The half smile on Iruka-Sensei's face fades away. This is the man who would always clean and wrap up all cuts and scrapes I got while at the academy with a smile on his face..

_Flashback:_

_"Keep it up guys, you're doing great!" Iruka said from over his shoulder as he looked back at the long line of children behind them. Today's training was strictly conditioning, and Iruka had decided that morning that he would take his class for a nice jog through the forest. Amedoru was the last one in line, bringing up the rear, and trickles of sweat dripped down the sides of her face as she huffed slightly. Just a little farther..if I can keep this up, this'll be the first time I've ran without stopping! Amedoru thought to herself with excitement. She peeked around Shino and saw that a fallen tree trunk was coming up ahead, and when she tried to leap over it like all her other classmates and Iruka-Sensei, her foot slammed against the side of the trunk and she toppled onto the ground, her chin slamming against the forest floor._

_"Iruka-Sensei!" someone called out. Iruka looked back over his shoulder before slowing his pace down._

_"You guys keep going, I'll meet you up ahead."_

_"Right, Sensei!" the student behind him said._

_"Did Amedoru fall down again?" Kiba asked in exasperation as he craned his head backwards though never breaking his stride. Some other students followed his lead, and laughed out loud as they tossed their heads back over their shoulders, a few of them shaking to the side.  
_

_"Someone should go check on her, she's probably hurting herself even after falling down." another student said, and a wave of laughter seemed to sweep down the line._

_"All right that's enough you guys." Iruka sighed before he turned around and jogged back towards the trunk._

_Amedoru lifted herself into a sitting position on the ground, and as soon as Iruka-Sensei came into view she looked down in embarrassment as a warm blush heated her face. Iruka crouched down next to her and pulled out a small rag and a bandage from out the pouch on his hip._

_"You alright, Amedoru?" he asked as he dabbed at the bloody scrape on her chin._

_"Yeah." Amedoru mumbled, and Iruka brought the rag down from her chin, his eyes staring at her face a moment before turning his attention down to the gash on her leg among all the other fading cuts and scrapes she had acquired before. Amedoru was..clumsier than the other students, frequently getting her self banged up during whatever excercise Iruka put her through, and he knew that it bothered her at times._

_"Listen, Amedoru. Don't beat yourself up to much. We all fall down sometimes, but you wanna know something?"_

_"What, Sensei?"_

_"What matters most is wether or not we choose to get back up again. Shinobi, especially, are good about that."_

_Amedoru looked up then. "I don't think I can be a good Shinobi. Not when I'm always tripping over myself. "_

_He dabbed at the gash on her leg before pasting a small bandage on it and the scrape on her chin. "Amedoru, I believe you're capable of doing wonderful things some day, becoming a ninja being one of them." he looked at her then with a warm smile, and Amedoru couldn't help but smile back. Thank you, Sensei,she thought to herself._

Iruka-Sensei was always encouraging me..

I don't wanna think that he's capable of doing something to harm us, even if it is part of the exam.

"As usual, you're sharp as a tack, Sasuke." Iruka-Sensei sighs as he squats down and puts a hand on one of the scrolls before turning around with it, holding it up for us all to see. " You've figured out the secret. Part of this exam was to test how well you could see a difficult mission all the way through. So simply put, you knew that opening the scrolls was against the rules of your mission, and if you had tried to open one.."

"What? What would have happened?" Sakura asks.

"Some kind of hypnotic jutsu?" I add in, and Iruka-Sensei gives me a nod.

"If the scroll was opened, we were ordered to knock out whoever opened it. Some ninja found that out the hard way."

"It's a good thing you didn't open yours, huh Naruto?" Sasuke smirks as he looks over at him, and all of us grimace, my lips pull back to expose my teeth. Naruto cups his hands under his chin and stares up at the ceiling.

"I owe you a lot Kabuto."

"Sensei?" Sakura asks.

"Yeah?"

"What's that writing on the wall mean? The parchment the letters are written on are kinda eaten away so its difficult to read it. We can't understand it."

Iruka-Sensei turns his back on us to stare at the giant scroll on the wall, and I pick at my bottom lip with my fingers. I've been thinking about that ever since Sakura read it aloud, and I don't think that little poem is there just for kicks. Its a riddle, a message of some kind, and there's gotta be something there in-between the words that we're not seeing. Shikamaru would probably be able to figure it out after reading through it a few times.

"Awh who cares. We passed the second exam, so none of that stuff matters anymore!" Naruto says right in Sakura's face, and she groans and massages her temples. Iruka-Sensei turns back around and faces us with an apologetic smile.

"Actually, explaining that is another one of the duties I've been sent here to take care of. It's actually serious business. Here, give it a good read." Iruka- Sensei beckons us forth with a hand, and we all take a few steps closer towards the wall. "They're instructions Lord Hokage recorded as principles that Chunin should follow."

"Instructions?" Naruto asks.

"Yes. Heaven stands for your mind and Earth for your body. "If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher." Get it?" Naruto hums to himself as I play the words over in my head again.

"Hm..maybe it's saying something like knowledge can only be found if you have the true desire to look for it" I say a little tentatively. It's like I'm back at the academy again seated right next to Shikamaru. Whenever Iruka-Sensei asked us all a question, only a couple people would raise there hands to answer it, mostly Sakura and Ino. I would raise my hand up and then lower it again halfway, but Iruka-Sensei would notice and smile at me before calling on me to answer. Back then I was pretty shy in the classroom, but because of Iruka-Sensei always smiling at me- encouraging me, I eventually got over it.

"That's very thoughtful, Amedoru." he says with that familiar, old smile. The one that is so completely different form the forced, nervous one he gave me back in the Hokage's office that one day. "In other words, if your weakness lies in your intellect-Naruto." He pauses and throws a teasing look at him "then you have to make doubly sure you work hard to learn all the information and skills that you need to prepare for your missions. "

"Okay, I get your point." Naruto grumbles, and Sakura tries to stifle her giggles with her hand.

"You." Iruka-Sensei says as he looks at Sakura. " If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body-prepare to attack. So if your weakness lies in your physical strength, Sakura, then you have to make sure that you work on your physical conditioning every single day so it improves. All the time. When Heaven and Earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. Meaning, if your mind and body are working together as one, then even a very dangerous mission can become an easy one."

"So what about that missing letter on the scroll?" I ask. "What does that mean?"

"Well that part is meant for all of you to fill in. Do you see that symbol on the scroll?" Iruka-Sensei pushes it out towards us. " It's the character for person- a reference to Chunin. You see, these five days of survival were to test your abilities as Chunin, and to see if you'd be any good at it. And I gotta say, you guys really did magnificently. A Chunin is a leader, a guide. It's a Chunin's responsibility to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of those serving under him, that way he knows whether or not that ninja's skills through training are ready enough for missions. You did an excellent job on this mission, and I want you to remember these instructions on your next one." He pauses a moment and smiles. "Well, that was it, that was everything I came here to tell you."

"Got it." Naruto says, bringing his hand up to his forehead in a salute. However, when Iruka-Sensei doesn't say anything back, he lowers his hand with a frown so much smaller than the one on Iruka-Sensei's face.

"What's bothering you, Sensei?" I ask , and his head snaps up, and the cloudiness in his eyes dissipates. This is the third time now that I've seen that look. First was right after he told me I passed the Genin Test after examining the wooden dummy, and the second was back in the Hokage's office, when he dipped his head and stared at the pack of papers in front of him after catching me glancing at him.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. It's just.. for the Third Exam..don't push it too far, okay? Especially you, Naruto. I worry-"

"Iruka-Sensei" Naruto cuts him off. "When I got this headband I stopped being a student, so you don't need to worry about me at all, not anymore. I mean this headband is proof that I'm a full-fledged ninja, right? I mean, you gave it to me..I may still be hyper, but I'm not a kid. You watched me pass the second exam, so I'm gunna pass the third one for sure, you just watch me. Because right now, I'm a ninja too!"

Naruto, you're completely right.

It's gets quiet all of a sudden, and I glance back and forth some between Naruto's determined stare and Iruka-Sensei's shocked face. After a moment though, it relaxes into an easy grin. "Naruto" Iruka-Sensei says, " You're right, I'm sorry about that." He stops to look over all four of us, and something like a sad smile ghosts his lips. "Well, now since we're finished here, lets get all you rookies back together again." Naruto and I share a relieved look as Iruka-Sensei makes a sign with his fingers, and before I know it we're all gone in a flash, the last thing I see is the giant scroll hanging on the wall.

* * *

People appear around me all of a sudden, and my body almost gives a startled jump. We're all standing in neat little rows, and I peek around Sakura and see that Sasuke's right in front of her with the back of Naruto's bright orange jumpsuit at the very front of the group. All the people I know are over to my left, and all the others I don't know, or who are from other villages are to my right. As soon as I see those three Sound Ninja that attacked us though, both my hands tighten into fists. Zaku has both his arms in slings crossed in front of his chest, and he turns his head to side and gives Sasuke a nasty glare. There's only seven teams here, I notice..seven teams out of twenty-three. My eyes catch the back of Shikamaru's head, and when I look over to the other side I see Gaara with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring forwards intently.

"First of all congratulations on finishing the Second Exam"

Anko's loud voice breaks through the silence, and all my attention is immediately brought to the very front of the room. I didn't even notice all the Chunin instructors, as well as the Hokage standing up front. The Jounin Squad Leaders stand in a silent line behind the Hokage, and the sight of my brother, who's standing right in between Gai and Asuma-Sensei, just fills me up with complete relief. His visible eye flickers over and meets mine, and despite the distance I can see the skin around it crinkle up just a little. Gai's head ducks down a little as he says something, but looks up at stares at my brother, who's staring forward blankly at something. Kakashi turns his head to the side, and Gai's mouth drops open almost all the way to the floor with two identical bursts of fire in his eyes. Kakashi always manages to find a way to get under Gai's skin.

"Wow all the other rookies are here too." Sakura whispers, glancing back at me.

"Man everyone's here! Old man Hokage, Iruka-Sensei, and even Bushier Brow! No one got left out!" Naruto says excitedly as he cranes his head to look back at us. Sasuke grumbles something under his breath and clamps a hand down onto the back of his neck. The two puncture wounds from the bite healed up pretty quickly, but now all thats left is that strange black mark. Sasuke's been ..okay, so far. But every time I glance at him I can't help but ask that one question to myself : How long is "okay" going to last?

"All right pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the Third Exam to you. And you better listen carefully, maggots. Lord Hokage, they're all yours" Anko says as she steps back, giving the Hokage the full floor.

"First, before I tell you what the Third Exam entails, I want to explain something about the test itself." The Hokage says after he clears his throat. " Listen closely now, it's something all of you need to understand. Im going to tell you the true purpose of these exams."

True Purpose? What could he mean by that?

"Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies? To raise the ability levels of the Shinobi, and increase friendship between allied nations to be sure.."

What he just said about "increasing friendship" might work for the leaders of all the nations participating in the exams, but honestly I don't think it's that way with the people in the exams itself. Take those three Sound Ninja and my team, for example.

"..but you must understand it's true meaning. The exams are, so to speak.." he pauses a moment to take a puff on his pipe, but even afterwards he just stares out at all of us, not saying a word. " They are a representation of the battle between allied nations."

Hm..I was beginning to think something along the lines of that. " If we look at our history, all the countries that we're currently allied with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each others military strength meaninglessly, those nations picked champions to do battle on behalf of their countries in a mutually selected location. That was how the Chunin selection exams originally began. These exams also allow for a place where a Shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs , and fight against other ninja for their very lives..."

_"I'll be back soon, Ame, okay?" Kakashi said as he gave the top of his sisters head a final ruffle before standing up and pulling his ANBU mask over his face. That was what Kakashi told Ame every time before he had to leave for a mission:_

_"I'll be back soon" , or " I'll see you when I get back." _

_And Amedoru truly believed him every time those words left his mouth. She worried all the time when he was gone, and despite the friends she had..she couldn't help but feel very alone at times. When he was gone from sight, Amedoru finally allowed the small smile to fade from her face slowly as a soft sigh escaped her mouth. She knew that her brother had a duty to the village, and that he would come home safe and sound like he always did, but that didn't keep the weight on her chest from aching any less..._

Is Lord Hokage trying to tell me that my brother risks his life every day just for the Pride of the Hidden Leaf? Just to show how much military power we have?

" ..the leaders from those countries are invited to attend this exam as guests, and also possibly to seek Shinobi to work for them. More importantly, they will watch over your battles and take note of the strengths each ninja, and each nation is developing. If there's a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations are receive job requests for their ninja and requests that are deemed weak to countries are declined. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better our position when it comes to negotiating with neighboring countries. So its important to show how much military strength our village has."

The stronger our nation is, the better our position when it comes to negotiating..

_A blur rushed in front of Sakura and Amedoru before the Sound Ninja could attack, and the giant leopard on the ground stared at the back of a jacket dawning the Nara Clan symbol with wide eyes. _

_"I'm not gunna let them hurt you anymore." Shikamaru said as he spread his feet apart firmly and crouched into a defensive position, casting sad eyes over his shoulder back at the leopard._

_"What a drag. I hate it when it does that!" Shikamaru said with a panicked expression as his Shadow Possession Jutsu withered before retracted, leaving the Sound Ninja free of all movement again._

_"I change my mind, Naruto. I think I'll play with your friend first!"_

_"No!" Naruto shouted as he leaped in front of Amedoru, intercepting the head-on attack from the giant snake that was approaching dangerously fast, and Amedoru watched with a horrified, shocked expression as Naruto's limp body plummeted to the ground._

"Okay, but even so why is it important for us to risk our lives?" Kiba asks, and I look at the Hokage expectantly.

" The military strength is the villages strength, the villages strength is the Shinobi's strength. And the true strength of the Shinobi is only achieved when its pushed to its limits, such as in a life and death battle. This exam is a chance for each nation to display the strength of its Shinobi, and hence, the strength of the nation itself. Its because this is an exam where your life is on the line that it has meaning."

_"To protect the life of someone precious!" Lee yelled as he charged forward with nothing holding him back, not even fear._

_Lee swayed on his feet with a painful moan before dropping to his feet, clamping a hand over his ear. Small streams of blood leaked between the cracks his fingers made. With an angry growl Amedoru leaped in between him and the Sound Ninja, and the force from his sound wave attack made her whine softly as her front legs buckled beneath her._

It all flashes before my eyes. All these horrible things that happened to us..can that really be how we achieve true strength as Shinobi? By watching the people close to us stare death in the face?

_"When I get my hands on you" Zabuza growled as he straightened up before dashing across the water towards Amedoru with his sword raised high. With a yell he brought the blade down, but something intercepted it quicker than a flash._

_"You're dealing with me now." Kakashi growled as he lifted his head. Zabuza's eyes widened out of fear at the dark, angry glare Kakashi was giving him as droplets of water raced down from the tips of his spiky hair to the sides of his face. The sound of metal-on-metal created a grating, screeching noise as the metal plate on Kakashi's glove kept the sword from hacking his sister, as well as himself in half._

All my life Kakashi's been protecting me, taking care of me..

"And it is for this reason that for the strength of the nation, that you fought in this exam. Its truly a dream worth striving for. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying. In the world of the Shinobi, that is friendship. The Third Exam is a fight for life with the pride of your village and your own dreams at stake."

"Any test is fine, just tell me what the details of the exam are already. I can handle anything you throw at me." Gaara's voice pierces the silence lowly.

" Very well then. Now listen closely I'm going to tell you exactly what you'll all be doing on the Third Exam." The Hokage clears his throat quickly, and my fingers start twitching. Someone drops to the ground on a knee in front of him, and I peek around Sakura to get a better look. This must be our proctor for the Third Exam.

"It's nice to meet you all" he says before coughing several times, and when he turns around to face us the first thing I notice about him are the deep, dark circles around his eyes and his palish, sick complexion. "There's something I would like all of you to do before the Third Exam" he says before coughing again, though this time its more hackish and sick sounding. "Uh..we have to have a preliminary." he says when his coughing subsides, and the last five words come out in a rush. "A preliminary exam, I mean, before we can move on to the real one."

"A preliminary?"

"PRELIMINARY?! Just what do you mean by that?!"

"What do you mean by the "real one?!" "

Sakura, Shikamaru, and I all speak at the same time.

"Uh, excuse me Sensei, but why can't we just move on to the Third Exam? What's the point of having a preliminary?" Sakura asks politely.

The proctor shifts uneasily on his feet. "Uh..well you see, the First and Second Exams might have been too easy. The fact is we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the riles of these exams, a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining.

"By how much?" I ask, and the proctor glances sidelong at the Hokage who gives him a subtle nod to continue.

"It um, depends."

Depends on what? Just what in the world do we have to do for this exam?!

"It's just top help speed things up a bit" the proctor continues. "Like Lord Hokage said, A lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best, so if any of you feel you're not in top physical condition, now's your chance to-" a series of wheezy coughs interrupts him, and from the very front of the room I notice Kakashi share a quick, curious look with Gai before the both of them stare at the back of the Proctor. "Sorry. As I was saying, any of you who don't feel up to this, now is the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

I glance at Sasuke, and as if he sensed it, lets his hand slip from the side of his neck back down to his side.

"Come on, are you serious?! Right now?!" Kiba shouts

"We just finished barely surviving the last exam, don't we get a break?" Ino says, her voice edging towards a whine.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes up to the ceiling and his eyebrows furrow. "Man, what a drag."

My fingers go to war picking at each other. These preliminaries haven't even started, yet adrenaline is already starting to make its course throughout my body.

"Oh yeah, the winners will be determined by one-on-one combat, sudden death. So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now's the time to raise your hand." the proctor says.

I don't care how tired I am, there's just no way I'm backing out of this now. Not after all the things my team and I have gone through.

Sasuke grunts in pain all of a sudden, and his body gives a quick lurch as he slaps his hand onto the side of neck again. Sakura takes a step forward as I step out to the side from behind, and Naruto turns his head to look back at us with a small, curious noise. That mark's acting up again.

"Sasuke" Sakura says, " listen to me, you have got to quit. You've been like this ever since you tangled with Orochimaru..and it's getting worse!"

"I've been paying closer attention to you ever since you got that mark" I say lowly, " It's getting to be unpredictable..like back in the clearing when we fought those Sound Ninja."

Sakura nods vehemently, and both Sasuke and Naruto turn around even more to face Sakura and I.

"Please.." she says in a shaky voice, bringing her hands up under her chin. Her whole body's shaking. "Quit now before ..I don't know what. I'm scared." she wipes away the tears in her eyes with both hands. That mark on the back of Sasuke's neck really has her scared out of her mind..

"Sasuke, just think it through, and I mean really think about it." I say. " I understand you want to keep going, but you have to think of the outcome, because either way there's going to be one." Sasuke's eyes narrow some as he looks at me, and I tilt my head over towards Sakura.

"I'm not gunna tell you what to do because its not my decision, but at least think about it..for her."

"Don't you see? You can't keep fighting in the state you're in!"

"Shut up, Sakura!" Sasuke growls, and then says in a softer, quieter voice, "will you please be quiet?"

"You don't think I see how much you're suffering? I'm going to tell them about that mark..I-I'm going to.." Sakura squeezes her eyes tight as her hand raises in the air slowly, and Sasuke shoots me a pleading glance, silently asking me to stop her. But honestly, I don't think I could even if I wanted to. Besides, someone else has already beaten her to the punch.

"Okay" Kabuto says in a cheerful, yet embarrassed voice " you got me. I'm out."

"But..Kabuto!" Naruto says.

After the proctor tells Kabuto he's free to go, he turns back and starts heading for the double doors far behind us with Naruto protesting.

"Oh Naruto, I'm sorry. My body's just too beat up. I can't hack it.."

I think about all those gashes he got while protecting Naruto and I from those kunai knives..but that can't be the reason he's quitting. He was fine after that. Wait a minute..Kabuto was hurt way before going into the forest..

"In fact, since Orientation I've had no hearing in my left ear." he says, confirming my thoughts. "And now to have my life put on the line, to fight again without a break? I can't do it." He turns around and talks to his teammate in a low voice, and to my surprise, I can't make out whats being said when I try and focus my hearing. That sound wave attack from that Sound Ninja's probably still having an effect on me. "Well, goodbye you four. Hopefully I'll see you guys again real..real soon." Kabuto says as he gives a small wave, and all of us turn around and watch him heads out the door. Naruto stares at the ground with a watery frown, but I try to stifle a relieved sigh.

"Now then, does anyone else want to quit?" the proctor asks, and Sakura's hand begins to raise before Sasuke whips around and slams her hand down with his own.

"Don't you even think about telling them about this mark." Sasuke says lowly, and his hand visibly grips a little tighter around Sakura's wrist.

"Let her go, Sasuke." I say, and Sakura whips her head to the side with tears leaking down her cheeks.

"Am I suppossed to watch you tear yourself apart? I can't bear it." Sakura says.

"Then don't watch." Sasuke says "This has nothing to do with you, or you either." he looks at me and takes his hand away from Sakura's. A wave of anger washes over me, and I tighten my fists hard and try to resist slamming one against his face. How can he even say something like that? Especially to Sakura, who cares for him as deeply as she does?

"I told you once before. What I am is an avenger. This for me is just an exam, and whether I become a Chunin or not means less than nothing to me. To be as strong as I can be..all I want is the answer to that. I can only find out by fighting the strongest. And the best of the best are all here. This is the path I walk, and not you, or anyone else can change that." Sasuke says, staring at Sakura will coldness in his eyes.

"Oh Sasuke.."

"I may not ever be able to really understand you, Sasuke, but -" I say before Sasuke cuts me off.

"You can stop there. There are no 'buts"-you will never understand who I am."

Naruto spins all the way around on his heel. " That's it. You just don't know when to quit, do ya, you big idiot?! What are you butting your head up for, it's just 'cause they care about you!-"

"Naruto." Sasuke interrupts " You're one of the ones I wanna fight the most."

Sasuke's blocking most of Naruto from my view, but I'm still able to see as one of his eyes grows wide.

"Okay. We'll now begin with the Preliminary round. This round will consist of one-on-one, individual combat. And full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are twenty of you remaining, so that means ten matches total. The surviving candidates from these ten matches will advance onto the third exam. And as for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or admits defeat, or is physically incapable of going on. Naturally, those caught in this state are urged to admit defeat to avoid a fatal outcome. Further more, as proctor I'm given a certain amount of lee-way in judging the matches. If a match seems hopeless, I might intervene to save as many lives as possible. Now its time to reveal what fate has chosen for you."

A panel on the wall slides up revealing an empty black screen. "The names of each opponents are chosen completely at random."

After the proctor explains a bit more, the blank screen comes to life as all of our names flash across it, being separated by a big "VS" in the middle. When I'm in the ring, so to speak, what's going to happen? I can picture over a handful of outcomes, but it all ends up leading to two options: win by death or tap out. Kiba's name appears on the screen before disappearing faster than a blink. I could be paired up against anyone in this room..at complete random. Shikamaru turns his head around, and when his eyes meet mine, I know one thing thats certain. If I end up having to fight him, or Lee, or any of my teammates, death or serious injuries will not be allowed to happen. The last thing I want is for him, or for anyone of my friends to get hurt by my hand. And especially when the stupid rules says I have no choice if I want to win. My name flashes across the screen. But what happens if my opponent ends up being someone I don't know and is coming at me with full force, what then? If I did end up winning the match, would my brother look at me at the same? My friends? Will I become..different if I end up being the last one standing, and my opponent is either dead or lying on a stretcher?

The screen gives a loud, mechanical beep as two, orange-glowing names freeze, and my breath hitches in my throat.

Sasuke...it's pretty ironic.

"Alright, the names have been drawn. Come forward." the proctor says.

Sasuke heads to the very front with one of Kabuto's teammates, and I rest a hand on Sakura's shoulder as she brings both her hands underneath her chin.

"You have been chosen for the first match. Yoroi Akoto, and Sasuke Uchiha. Are there any objections?"

Sakura brings her hands down as her shoulder tenses up underneath my hand. As hairy as Sasuke having to battle now sounds, its not my decision on whether or not he participates. I'm just his teammate, and I guess I just have to have enough trust in his judgement.

"Uh..alright then, lets begin the first match. Everyone other than the two opposing candidates will now clear the area and move to the upper level."

As everyone else heads up to the balcony, Sakura, Naruto, and I remain on the lower ground with Sasuke in a small huddle. I look up and meet his eyes, and I give him a small nod which he returns. Footsteps shuffle towards us somewhat lazily.

"Hey! Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto shouts as he leaps into the air, and I look up with a smile, though it turns into a straight, worried line when Kakashi stops in his tracks right next to Sasuke, the both of them having a quiet conversation.

"Kakashi" I say, my smile returning as he stops in front of Sakura, Naruto, and I. He looks us all over, and when he gets to me his eyes travel from my face down to the large red-brown outlined rip on my shirt.

"It's good to have you all back again." Kakashi says. " Come on, the match is about to start." His hand finds my shoulder as we walk up the steps to the balcony, and when we're finally settled, I stick my hands in the pockets of my pants that stop right at the knee and stare down at the two people on the ground uneasily.

* * *

I honestly expected Sasuke to go right into a jutsu once the match started, so it was kind've a surprise when he pulled out a kunai instead..all the while still gripping the side of his neck. He was doing good, considering the circumstances, until the guy he was facing managed to pin Sasuke underneath him, and the way his hand was enveloped in visible, light blue chakra reminded me all to easily of the way Orochimaru's hand was a blazing orange as it latched onto my face, and I reach up a hand and rub my throat.

"Come on, Sasuke." I mutter as his screams and grunts of pain echo throughout the room. I glance over at Sakura and the tortured look in her eyes. "Legs, legs!" I mutter, and then let out a sigh when Sasuke finally manages to kick the guy off of him. He gets back on his feet, but though he's able to dodge his opponents attacks, his movements are slow and sluggish. Naruto leans over the railing and yells down at him, and Sasuke looks over his shoulder as Sakura turns her head to the side. When Naruto leans over I notice Ro-Lee standing right next to him, staring down at the fight with intense eyes. Lee may see Sasuke as a major rival, but nonetheless, his respect for him is obvious. Sasuke's movements are a lot quicker now, and the next couple moves he executes makes me step closer towards the railing with an open mouth.

"He copied Ro-Lee's moves!"

From underneath his opponent, Sasuke lurches an da spray of blood flys from his mouth. He turns slightly at an angle, and that's when I see the bright red-orange, flame like marking crawling up his skin from the side of his neck.

"It's happening.." I say. Come on Sasuke, don't let it control you! The markings fade away after a quick moment. "He did it! He held it back." I say, and reach over my brother to grab Sakura's arm excitedly. She looks up and gives me a small smile before turning back towards the battle. Naruto's eyes are following Sasuke's every move. Sasuke gets on-top of his opponent in mid-air before slamming a hand down onto his throat followed by a severe blow with his leg.

"Lion's Barrage!" he shouts as his opponent slams down hard onto the ground, with Sasuke following, doing a backwards somersault as soon as he collides with the floor. The proctor bends over to examine Sasuke's opponent, and after a moment of complete stillness, Sasuke picks himself off the ground and stands somewhat weakly just when I think the anticipation from it all's about to make me explode. The proctor officially upgrades Sasuke to the finals, and I let out a loud cheer as Naruto and Sakura shout down to Sasuke. Sakura finally looks happy again. Kakashi teleports down to Sasuke as Naruto starts chuckling.

"Hey, Sasuke, you okay? You won, but in such an uncool way. Like your the one who got beat up, hahaha!"

"Oh, give me a break you little..oh, never mind." Sasuke replies with a small smile.

"You take it easy now, alright?" I call down to him as I walk over to stand in between Naruto and Lee, and Sasuke lifts his hand up lazily and waves it.

"Yeah, yeah."

"What are you thinking about?" I ask Lee, and he glances over at me before looking down at Sasuke and my brother again.

"He's something else. Even at his weakest, he is still so strong. Maybe even stronger than-" Lee goes quiet, and when I look over at him his eyebrows are scrunched together, and sadness mixed with disappointment is in his eyes.

" Sasuke's great and all, there's no denying it, but don't worry. You'll get your chance to show everyone how wonderful you are." I say, trying to cheer him up. As an afterthought I playfully punch his shoulder, and he finally looks away from Sasuke and gives me a cheeky smile.

"Thank you, Amedoru. I needed to hear that."

Kakashi and Sasuke start walking towards the exit doors slowly. "Wait, where's Kakashi going?" I ask out loud.

"Kakashi has to seal up that Curse Mark on Sasuke before the final rounds. "Gai says in a quiet voice as he leans over towards me. So that's what it's called..but wait, if there's a name for it and everything, then that means something like this has happened before to someone else. Kakashi disappears through the doors, all his focus on the side of Sasuke's neck, and a twinge of disappointment goes off inside me. I don't think Kakashi's gunna be able to see my battle...or my new jutsu's I've been practicing to show him how hard I've been working. To show him that even though I may not be like Sasuke, that doesn't mean I can't pull off a couple things of my own. I just want Kakashi to see that I _can _do this, that he wasn't wrong in having faith in me. I just want to make him proud of me.

Naruto nudges me with his elbow. " Hey Amedoru, when Sasuke was fighting, did you see those marks all over him? Sakura says she didn't see anything, but I know I saw them for sure."

"Oh-" I begin when Sakura's head appears over Naruto's, shaking rapidly to the side. Her eyes wide and asking me silently not to say anything. None of us brought up the fight with those Sound Ninja after it happened, and that includes the mark on Sasuke's neck..but I'm not exactly sure why Sasuke and Sakura want to keep it from Naruto.

"Hel-loo, Amedoru!" Naruto says in a sing-song voice as his hand waves back and forth in front of my face.

"Hm? Oh, sorry. Nope, I uh, didn't see anything Naruto." I say, and he just hums to himself as he nods slowly. Sakura shoots me a thankful look.

* * *

A loud poof sounds behind me as soon as Shino's battle is over, and Naruto, Sakura and I all spin around on our heels.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto shouts.

"Hi" Kakashi replies back in a laid-back voice.

"What do you mean "hi" ?! Is that all you can say?! What about Sasuke, how is he?!"

"And are you okay?" I ask as worry blossoms in my chest. It's very subtle, but there's definately something off about my brother. The look in his eye concerns me the most.

"Oh Sasuke's fine" Kakashi says with an eye roll "sleeping soundly in the infirmary."

Sakura sighs in relief, and my brother comes to stand next to me, looking down at me with that look in his eye. It's almost like he's..scared. Maybe even worried about something. But what could that "something" be? Unless..Sasuke told him about Orochimaru.

"I'm more concerned about you, Ame. Do you need to go see a medic? Are you feeling alright?"

"A medic? No, I'm okay Kakashi." I say, trying to reassure him. But he doesn't even blink.

"Be honest. I felt those injuries when you were in the forest" he says in a hard voice. He must be talking about the aftermath of that Sound Ninja attack.

"It was bad at first, but I'm okay now, really." I notice the deep, jagged pink line running across my shoulder "a little banged up, but fine nonetheless."

I add on a smile after I finish, but for once Kakashi doesn't return it. In fact, the look in his eye just grows more severe. My smile fades into a frown, and I follow Kakashi's hand with my eyes as it slowly reaches out and grabs the back of my neck, his fingers pushing through my hair to rest onto my skin lightly. It's actually pretty..comforting, in a way.

"I can't say I expected anything less from you and your teammates, Amedoru." he says, though his voice is quieter sounding than usual. Something's not right..

"Kakashi, what's wrong? What happened?"

The screen lights up with flashing names again before stopping abruptly, causing the both of us to stop and stare over at it.

"Well, whoever it picks'll be two weirdos for sure. This exams" Naruto says, and Kakashi looks over at him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You're one to talk."

"Yeah no kidding." Sakura says before giggling.

"This isn't the time for a laugh, Sakura." Kakashi says as he grips Sakura's shoulder and bends down a little next to her ear. She gasps and looks forwards to the other side of the room, where Ino smirks heavily at her.

* * *

"Go Sakura! You can do it! Don't loose!" Naruto shouts down.

"Just do your best, and you'll be fine!" I add in, and Sakura turns around and gives us a firm, determined nod. I remember how Ino used to be Sakura's best friend when they were younger, but it all crumbled because of their rivalry over Sasuke. That proctor said the board chooses opponents at random..but now I'm not so sure. Sakura and Ino rush at each other, matching each others every move. A couple of Kunai flies through the air, but Ino catches them easily right between her fingertips. Over on the other side of the arena, Shikamaru starts heading over towards us with Choji and Asuma-Sensei following behind.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks as he stops next to me, and I nod.

"Oh yeah. This match is too ironic to be chosen "at random"."

"Well I'm thinking that Sakura's blowing Ino into the water with this match! She's doing great!" Naruto shouts

He and Shikamaru argue quickly before the hard sound of hand meeting skin echoes throughout the room, silencing them. Ino stares at her hand a long time before her eyes lift up to Sakura, and when Sakura says in a strong voice how she's not going to argue with Ino over Sasuke anymore, Shikamaru and I turn our heads simultaneously to look at each other with raised eyebrows.

"-Ino PIG!"

"-Billboard Brow!"

Brings back memories.

"Did you hear that stuff they said? Sakura was..was so mean." Naruto says "I mean, that's out of line, isn't it? She really made Ino mad, I've never seen her like that before!"

"Hm..yes, but there's more to it than that. Sakura's not the kind of girl who needlessly flaunts her power-callously hurt people. But she also doesn't like having Ino take pity on her and hold her punches." Kakashi says.

Sakura unties her headband from the top of her head.

"What in the worlds goin' on here?" Naruto asks

"Yeah..what's Sakura doing?" Shikamaru adds in.

"I think she's about to finally stand up to Ino, after all these years." I say as Kakashi says something to Naruto about rivalry. When I glance over my shoulder he waves over to Gai.

"Oh! Hi there."

"They're both on the same ground now..finally." I say as Sakura and Ino finish tying their headbands to their foreheads, and Shikamaru scowls down at the two of them in contemplation. They rush each other, and the power from both when their fists collide skin-on-skin makes my eyes widen some. The both of them have power, for sure. Sakura manages to send Ino rolling on the ground with the help of a few shadow clones, but Ino hops back onto her feet, and when they meet again they shove each other with a fist caught in either hand.

"They think so alike, it's kinda scary" Shikamaru mutters over to me.

"No kidding...ya know, this match might end up being a draw."

"Wouldn't really surprise me."

"Ooo" the both of us wince as both Ino and Sakura's heads rock back from the force of either ones punch. Their bodies separate as both go sailing into the air.

"C'mon, Sakura!" I shout down, and she gets back on her feet staggeringly before rolling her shoulders back, never taking her eyes off Ino.

"What an idiot, she's falling right for the trap. She's so wound up from Sakura there's no telling what she'll do" Shikamaru says as Ino shouts and takes out a kunai. In one swift motion her long blonde ponytail is chopped off before being thrown at Sakura feet, strands of white-blonde falling slowly to the ground. Ino's stance changes into the one she used back when she fought that one Sound Ninja. Her Mind-Transfer Jutsu.

"Oh man, that fool" Asuma-Sensei mutter.

"Shikamaru, why are you guys so tense about it?" I whisper over to him.

"She's only supposed to use this Jutsu with me, once our enemy is immobilized. Sakura can easily dodge it, and if she does, its all over. No! Ino don't!" Shikamaru shouts all of a sudden as Sakura takes off sprinting towards the side..until coming to a jerky stop. Ino slumps to the ground as Sakura bends forward slightly. Oh no..Ino must've hit her.

"Hm..your mistake..Ino." Sakura says, taking a step forward.

"Awh man, this is it. It's all over." Shikamaru sighs. Something's glowing on the ground.

"Hold up.." I say as I lean over the railing. A long glowing line stretches from Ino all the way to Sakura in a straight line, capturing both her feet. Right over all of Ino's scattered hair... "She used it, didn't she?" Shikamaru asks, nodding down at the pile of fair blonde.

"Yeah.."

"Sakura, you gotta get outta there, quick!" Naruto shouts frantically, but its too late. Ino activates her Mind-Transfer Jutsu, and after a moment Sakura sagged head raises with a snarky smirk as her hand begins raising.

"And now I, Sakura Haruno, would like to say that I-"

"NOO! Sakura don't !" Naruto shouts.

"You have to fight her off! No one can control you but you, Sakura!" I add

"You worked so hard to get here, don't disgrace yourself now by losing to that lame Ino girl!"

Sakura..er, Ino, lets out a scream as she clutches her hand with her hands.

"That's it, Sakura! C'mon, you can do it!" I shout with excitement. She's doing it! She's pushing through..

"I WON'T BE WITHDRAWING TODAY OR ANY OTHER DAY! CHA!" Sakura shouts..the real Sakura. She slumps to the ground as her eyes open. And when both Ino and Sakura collide again, they knock each other out cold at the same time. Because they can't go on anymore, the proctor declares the match to be over. Asuma-Sensei and Kakashi transport down below and bring Ino and Sakura back up with us.

"Hey, Sakura wake up! You okay?!" Naruto shouts, and Kakashi raises a finger to his lips ans shushes him.

"I don't think treatment will be necessary. They'll probably wake up after a little while." Asuma-Sensei says.

I squat down in front of Sakura, remembering how nervous she looked when Kakashi handed us our admission sheet for the exams. "You were great, Sakura. And Ino too" I say as I look between the both of them. Arch Rivals, sitting side-by-side.

* * *

The screen lights up again after Ten-Ten's battle, and all the while Naruto's shouting and jumping. He really, really wants to get down there, I think to myself. For a brief second I see my name matched up with Shikamaru's and my breath hitches before releasing slowly when the screen moves on, the sound of Naruto and Ro-Lee's arguing in the background. Finally, it stops, and Shikamaru sighs heavily.

"Great..it's my turn. Can't say I wasn't ready, but gee, what a drag."

I look up again at the screen. I recognize his opponents name..

"Wait a minute. She's part of that Sound Ninja team that attacked you." Shikamaru says as Kin heads for the steps on the other side of the room.

"Yeah. She didn't really attack us, though. She just hung back and let her two buddies do all the work."

"I remember..the Jutsu she's got is one big secret, huh?"

" You can beat her, I know it. She's from the Sound Village, so it's gotta have something to do with that. But If her attacks are anything like her teammates..' I trail off as I remember the blood oozing out of Lee's ear, and the drilling pain at the very front of my head. It's bad enough Lee got hurt, but if Shikamaru ends up in the same way as both Ro-Lee and I..I just might end up loosing it. "Just be cautious."

His eyes take on a more serious look. "I will, Amedoru."

"Time to show everyone the lazy genius you are. "I bump my shoulder against his, and the corners of his mouth tilt upwards into an almost-smile.

"Got it."

I look over at Kakashi standing right next to me, and he nods his head as Shikamaru stops a distance away from Kin down below. Choji and Ino are cheering nice and loud, and from above I watch Shikamaru's shoulders rise up as his head sinks downwards. He doesn't really like getting a whole lot of attention. The proctor steps forward and officially begins the match, and one of my hands shoots out and grabs onto the railing firmly.

"You can beat her, I know you can." I say to myself. My faith in him is infinite..but the worry I feel whenever I look at Kin is pretty strong too.

Shikamaru immediately activates his Shadow-Possession Justu, but it's cut off abruptly when the light sound of bells tinkles in my ears. Whatever she used it too hard for me to see, but according to Shikamaru, the weapons stuck to the wall close to him are Senbon with bells attached. I see..he has to dodge both the ones with bells, and the ones without. Kin throws some, but Shikamaru avoids them all. After a brief moment though, those bells go off again.

"What the-" Shikamaru says as he looks over his shoulder, confusion in his eyes. If Kin isn't throwing any Senbon, then how are those bells going off? When I focus only on seeing, I notice the string attached to the thin needles. I glance back anxiously at Kin, who has a smirk on her face. With one hand she tugs on the strings, while the other clenches before flying out in front of her, releasing something. My eyes widen. No!

"LOOK OUT!" I shout as I lean over the railing, and Shikamaru twists his head back around quickly..but not quick enough. With a loud "Oomph!" about three or so Senbon stick themselves into his skin, making his body jerk backwards roughly, and he lands on the ground with a hard thud. "Shikamaru!" Ino and I shout at the same time.

"Well that didn't take long." Naruto says, and I bend even further over the railing. The metal bar is hard and cold,pressing into my skin through my shirt.

"No. Shikamaru's not done for yet." I say just as he groans and rises to his feet. He yanks out the senbon and tosses them to the ground.

"All right, now I get a turn!" He shouts before swaying side to side, groaning lightly.

"Oh no.." I whisper when he collapses to his knees. Quick footsteps sound behind me, and soon Lee's voice is right at my ear.

"Those bells and that other Sound Ninja's arm weapon are similar. Shikamaru is experiencing the same effects as we did!"

Kakashi turns his head sharply in our direction, but I can't explain everything to him now. Shikamaru clamps a hand over both his ears and shakes his head to the side.

"..im gunna cook you nice and slow over a roasting fire." Kin says, and my teeth press against each other so hard my jaw aches. One question flows continuously through my head :What can I do to help Shikamaru? WhatcanIdowhatcanIdowhatcanIdo?!

"Just focus on breathing, Shikamaru. You can do it!" I say.

More Senbon embed themselves into non-fatal areas of Shikamaru's body. This is like torture.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Shikamaru asks in a clear, even voice, and my jaws relax. If Shikamaru can focus enough to form a sentence..to form words, even, after that bell attack..then that means -

"He's got you now." I snap as soon as Kins arm stops moving in mid-motion, and her eyes widen from fear and shock.

"Looks like my "lame shadow jutsu" was a success after all." Shikamaru says as he stand up fully, explaining how he managed to catch Kin in his trap. However, when he takes out a shuriken from his leg punch, making Kin do the same, the worry inside sky rockets. I trust him..I trust him.. I chant in my head as both shurikens are released. Shikamaru bends backwards gracefully and dodges it..and Kin ends up doing the same, though her head smacks up hard against the wall, knocking her out cold.

"And that's what I call using your head. Now who's hearin' bells? " he says, and laughter bursts from deep in my gut as I cover my face with my hand. Only Shikamaru..

"Winner of the sixth match: Shikamaru Nara." the proctor says, and I can practically feel the goofiness of my grin as it stretches across my face.

"Can't say that I expected anything less from him." Kakashi says with amusement.

"Whoo! Shikamaru!" I cheer as I feel a giant burst of energy surges through my body. Shikamaru turns around with his hands on his head, and gives me a genuine smile. He heads for the staircase and starts walking up the short flight of steps slowly, and I dash over towards them and meet him just as he reaches the last step.

"You were great! How are you feeling? You wanna go see a medic?" I ask as my eyes drop to the small blood-stains on his arm and shoulder.

"Shikamaru!" several voices shout out at once as Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru's team race over towards us.

"Woah, woah, slow down you guys. I'm fine." Shikamaru says as he holds up both his hands. But nonetheless, I keep a steady hand on his shoulder as we walk side by side back over to Asuma-Sensei and my brother. I've said it before, but Shikamaru's got one of the most intelligent, strategic minds in all the Hidden Leaf.

* * *

"Please be me, please be me, PLEASE BE ME!" Naruto chants to himself, shouting out that last part as the screen lights up again. And when his name shows up matched with Kiba's he lets out a loud whoop and leaps into the air with an ecstatic grin on his face.

"Ready to show everyone what Naruto Uzumaki can do?" I ask as I lean over towards him, and he punches out a fist in front of him.

"OH YEAH! IMMA TAKE KIBA TO THE FLOOR, JUST YOU WATCH AMEDORU!"

"Alright knucklehead, more talking and you'll miss your match." Kakashi says, and Naruto calms down almost instantly.

"Right." he says.

"We're all up here rooting for you, alright? Good luck Naruto." I say, and he flashes me another cheesy grin before leaping over the railing.

"Yeesh, I don't know who's ego is bigger." Sakura mutters over Naruto and Kiba's arguing as she rests her head in the palm of her hand.

Kiba tells Akamaru to stay put beside him, and Sakura leans over the railing.

"GO ON NARUTO YOU CAN'T LOOSE TO THIS JERK!"

"Prove him wrong, Naruto!" I shout down to him. Kiba and I are cool and all, but he really does have an attitude problem, always picking on the people he looks down upon. Looking down at he and Naruto now, I remember all the times when Kiba would pick on him. He was always the first to laugh whenever Naruto messed up on something. But now's Naruto's chance to put Kiba in his place, to show him that all those years of making fun of him are, and were nothing. Kiba gets down on all fours before charging towards Naruto at an incredible speed. With one blow to the abdomen from Kiba's stomach, Naruto goes sailing across the floor. The room buzzes some, and its like everyone up here in the balcony's got something to say about how they shouldn't have expected anything more from Naruto. But they have no clue what they're talking about. They didn't get to see how Naruto stopped that giant snake back in the forest, and all those shadow clones he made to help us fight against those freaky ninja. They don't know how strong he is.

"C'mon Naruto!" I shout down at him, and after a moment his fingers start twitching as his eyes flutter open.

"Don't ever..don't _ever_..underestimate _me_!" he growls when he gets back on his feet, making Kiba's mouth drop open.

"There ya go, Naruto!"

"Atta boy Naruto!"

Sakura twists her head and gives me a smile, and Lee brings up a clenched fist in front of him as he cheers.

"That's more like it." I say to myself, and I can practically see Naruto's grin through the back of his head.

After Kiba and Naruto spat some more, Kiba manages to get Naruto trapped in a giant cloud of deep purple smoke. Naruto gets out of it, only to be forced back in when Akamaru attacks from the outside. I see..attacks from both inside and outside.. The smoke clears revealing Akamaru waggin his tail next to Naruto, who's curled up on the ground . There's no way..

"Yeah! We did it! C'mere, AKamaru, good doggie!" Kiba says as he squats down and extends both arms out..but instead of rushing into them, Akamaru leaps up and grabs Kiba by the arm with a deep growl.

"I've got you now." Naruto's muffled voice sounds, and AKamaru vanishes in a poof of smoke, revelaing Naruto whos grinning even with his teeth firmly clmaped down on Kiba's arm.

"That's what I'm talkin bout, Naruto! Nice one!" I shout, and Sakura leans over the railing.

"That was amazing, Naruto!"

"This aint the Naruto we used to know." Shikamaru says from next to me as he looks down at the two clones.

"And it only gets better from here. He's only getting started." I say

But then Kiba tosses something to Akamaru, and as soon as he swallows it his fur bristles and turns a deep shade of red. And when Kiba swallows the same thing, Akamaru leaps onto his back before turning into an exact replica. The both of them look even more..canine than usual. I know that hungry, beastly look in their eyes from using my Animal Style Transformation Jutsu. Naruto just got thrown a curve-ball. The two Kiba's attack Naruto, and the most he can do is avoid their blows and try to keep on his feet. Suddenly the two Kiba's begin spinning into Kiba's signature "Fang Over Fang" move.

"Naruto!" I shout when he falls to the ground with blood running down all over his face.

"I-I will..be Hokage..I will." his voice croaks as he rakes a hand down the ground, trying to pull himself up, and a weight settles onto my chest. Naruto..

"By lying flat on your face? I got news for ya..I'm gunna be Hokage!" Kiba lets out a long stream of never ending cackles, and its like we're all back at the Academy again. The classroom filling with laughter as Naruto messes up on his Transformation Jutsu..

"You shut your mouth!" I yell down, and Kiba's laughter cuts off as he scowls up at me.

"Amedoru?" Sakura says softly, peeking around my brother who's staring down at me with a shocked look in his eye. "I don't care if you think Naruto's the biggest loser on the planet! You shut your mouth..because you don't have the right to talk to him like that. Nobody does!" my hand curls into a fist at my side, and Kakashi rests his fingertips atop it, and slowly, it un-curls. Naruto staggers to his feet from down below.

Kiba and Akamaru try the same attack combo as before, but Naruto gets out of it a lot quicker than last time. Though when they try it again, Naruto's lost from sight in all that deep purple smoke. Kina's tunneling fangs are attacking from almost everywhere. Kiba and Akamaru pull back before diving in again, but the smoke begind clearing away.

"Ah, very clever. "Kakashi says in an impressed voice.

"Huh?" Sakura asks.

"Just wait. You'll see."

There are three Kiba's now, all identical. Way to use that Transformation Jutsu, Naruto I think. Suddenly one of the Kiba's reels back and slams his fist into another one's jaw..but a poof of smoke appears as soon as it collides with the ground..and instead of Naruto lying on the ground like I had thought at first, it's Akamaru. How did Naruto manage to hide his scent from Kiba then? The real Kiba twist around and knocks out his twin behind him..but another cloud of smoke appears and reveals yet another Akamaru, and I let out a cheer. Kiba just got played big time. Akamaru gets up behind Kiba before charging, and when he leaps into the air he transforms back into Naruto, and he knocks Kiba flying on his butt with a single leg kick.

"You finally gettin serious Kiba? Cuz I've been saving something special..my Super Secret Awesome Killer Move!"

"Sounds special alright." I say, and everyone on both my right and left grunt in agreement.

Naruto dodges all of Kiba's shuriken, but Kiba's speed is too much. Eventually, Naruto gets caught, and he crashes to the ground.

"ON YOUR FEET, NARUTO!" Sakura shouts

"C'mon, Naruto! Get up, you can do it!" I add. But when he does, Kiba charges at him again, slashing his arm good with a handful of claws. Naruto reacts quickly though, and he grabs Kiba's arm before throwing him off of him. Kiba takes off, and slashes Naruto with his claws over and over. But every time Naruto gets right back up. He taunts Kiba, and when he appears from behind Naruto lets one rip. Kiba reels back and slaps both his hands over his face with the most disgusted, horrified expression I've ever seen.

"Who said Naruto ran out of gas?" Kakashi says, and I splutter a bit before bursting out in a fit of chuckles.

"N-Naruto..that was great." I stammer, and he looks back at me with an giddy smile.

"Yeah, whatever works." Sakura adds in.

"Wish I could say that I planned it!" Naruto says before his hands form a sign.

Soon several Naruto's each take a turn in kicking Kiba up towards the sky, and what has to be the real Naruto uses one of his clones as leverage as he pushes off so that he's above Kiba.

"NA-"

"RU-"

"TO-"

"UZUMAKI BARRAGE!" The real Naruto shouts before bringing his leg down hard onto Kiba's head, sending him crashing to the ground on his face like dead weight right at his feet.

The proctor kneels next to Kiba and inspects him before he coughs and looks up. "The winner is Naruto Uzumaki."

"ALRIGHT NARUTO! WAY TO GO!" I shout as my cheers mix in with the people on either side of me.

* * *

However, not even halfway into Hinata's battle with Neji, I'm stunned into silence. I suspected Neji was a Hyuuga, I mean after all he and Hinata look like siblings, but blood doesn't seem to matter to Neji as he strikes Hinata again and again so ruthlessly I'm at a loss for words. But something like a low whine rips out my throat every time Hinata gets back on her feet and takes up her defensive position again, this time with a trickle of blood running down her chin. And when her head lifts the first person she looks at is Naruto, with eyes filled with such deep adoration it makes my heart wrench. Naruto's support for her seems to be filling her up with strength every time she's knocked down. She's always cared for him, I think to myself as I look over to the side. Though how much that care for him runs, I haven't a clue. Naruto's hunched over the railing, gripping it with both hands so hard his knuckles are bone-white. His teeth are bared and he's staring at Neji with more hate than I've ever seen from him. I've seen him worked up like this before..but there's something different about him this time. After the battle he stares at the puddle of her blood with the most tender look I've ever seen from him, and he gently rakes his fingertips down it and holds it up in a clenched fist in front of Neji, vowing to Hinata that he's gunna win his match in the final rounds.

And now when the screen lights up again, and names flash across it so fast it's almost hard to discern them, I sweep my eyes across the room, looking at who's left. Let's see..there's Ro-Lee, of course, and those two Sand Ninja. Gaara and the one with the purple markings all over his face..and myself.

"Amedoru." Shikamaru says as he nudges me with his elbow, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

He nods his head up towards the screen, and I can feel eyes staring at me from both sides as I follow Shikamaru's line of sight.

"AMEDORU HATAKE

VS

KANKURO"

I glance over to the three Sand Ninja, and while Gaara just stares at me with those intense, yet empty-like eyes, his two teammates smirk at me with bared teeth. My fingers go to war with other again.


	17. AmedoruVSKankuro,ALong Fight-Ame's Jutsu

Kankuro's toothy smile turns into a twisted smirk as he heads towards the steps leading down to the arena.

"Just lookin' at him rubs me the wrong way. I don't like the look of that thing on his back either." Shikamaru says, and when I turn my heads toward him I see his eyes following Kankuro's body as it descends down the steps.

"Awh man, not this guy again." I hear Naruto groan.

"I'm pretty sure I know what that thing is." I say, and he turns towards me with a raised eyebrow. "He's a puppet master. And honestly, I don't know which one I should be concerned about the most."

Kankuro comes to a stop near the proctor, and I swing my legs underneath the railing as I take a seat on the cold stone ledge beneath it, turning around to look back at my friends and brother who all nods their heads at me.

"You can do it, Amedoru!" Sakura says as Lee flashes me that signature toothy smile with a turned-up thumb.

"Do your best and nothing can go wrong!"

Kakashi takes a step closer to me, and the troubled look in his eye is covered, replaced by it's usual eye-smile again.

"Just do what you do." he says quietly, and something begins to swell inside me as I nod. The proctor and Kankuro are waiting down below, so with a deep breath I push myself off the ledge and slide the rest of my body underneath the railing.

"Hey, Amedoru." Shikamaru calls out, and when I turn around so that I'm staring at the wall, I look up and see half of Shikamaru's body sticking out from underneath the railing. "We're all up here for you, okay? Like you said for Naruto" his arm stretches down towards me, and I bump my fist against his. "Go get 'em."

"Thanks Shikamaru."

He pulls himself back up, and I make my way slowly towards the center of the floor, stopping a good couple of feet away from Kankuro with the proctor standing off to the side between us. That's when I hear it-the faint, yet audible sound of whispering coming from all four corners of this room.

-"So...this is the second Hatake, huh?"

-"..the copy ninja-Kakashi Hatake!'

-"..if she's anything like her brother.."

-"Wonder how long this'll last."

Just what exactly do they expect from me?

A large, dullish-red blotch on the ground catches my eye.

Hinata...

The image of her getting shakily onto her feet with a trickle of blood running out of the corner of her mouth rushes through my mind, and it's from that that I'm able to tune out all the whispering, and stop my fingers from picking at each other as I pull them from out my pockets. Maybe if I can be brave enough like Hinata, clever like Shikamaru, and strong like Naruto..I just might be able to pull this off.

"Well it's nice seeing you again, too. What's the matter? Too scared to look at me?"

Kankuro's voice breaks through my thoughts, and I lift my gaze from the blood stain on the ground to Kankuro's smirking face.

"WIPE THIS FOOLS MAKEUP RIGHT OFF HIS FACE, AMEDORU!" Naruto yells out.

"Nice cheer squad you got over there. But what's the little punk gunna say when I'm the one who wins this match?"

"Won't know it's over, I guess." I say, and Kankuro's lips press together as the corner of his mouth curves upwards. The proctor brings his arm down in between us.

"Kankuro of the Sand, are you ready to begin?" he asks as he turns his head.

"More than ready."

The proctor turns his head to me "And Amedoru of the Leaf?"

"Yeah" I say with a nod. The proctor clears his throat.

" Since both opponents are ready, the match will begin now."

His arm snaps upwards, and he hastily backtracks to stand as far away from Kankuro and I as he can.

"Let's go Amedoru!" Naruto, Sakura, and Lee shout down at me, followed by Gai:

"You can do it, sweetheart! Fill yourself with the power of youth!"

"Just have faith in yourself, because I do. All of us do." Shikamaru calls down to me, and that combined with all the support from my friends only hardens my resolve even further. I'm gunna do my very best. And I'm going to be someone that Kakashi, and everyone else can be proud of.

The match has started, but neither Kankuro or I move a muscle. The both of us are even farther away from each other now, but I can still his eyes as they rove over me, no doubt trying to find my weakest point-something to tip him off on where to strike me first. The fuzzy brown hair of his puppet shows from behind his head. I don't know which one to attack first...let alone which one is more dangerous, Kankuro, or his puppet? Kankuro's eyes meet mine. I know who I'm going for now. But before I can take so much as a step, several shuriken come flying at me from almost all directions, it seems, and the only way for me to avoid them is by ducking. They all make a muted grating sound when they stick to the stone wall behind me.

"Someones nervous." Kankuro sing-songs. Dang it, he caught me off guard. C'mon Amedoru, focus!

Instead of rising up form my half-crouched position, I lean further forwards before pushing myself off the ground, rushing for Kankuro head-on. He spreads his feet apart further the closer I get to him, and when he swings out his arm to deliver a punch to the side of my face, I duck under it before grabbing his arm to twist it behind his back. I yank out a kunai and bring it upwards to stab into the bandaged-wrapped puppet before I stick one of my legs in between both of Kankuro's, wrapping it around one of his legs and yanking backwards, and the both of us fall to the ground.

* * *

"Huh? I've never seen Tai-Jutsu done like that before" Sakura says uncertainly as she glances over at Kakashi.

"Yeah, what form is she usin?" Naruto asks as both Kankuro and Amedoru topple onto the ground together. Kakashi gives a low chuckle.

"Good observation, you two. And to answer your question, Naruto, she's not using a form."

"Say what?!"

"I'm pretty sure she picked that up off the streets or something. It's been a while since I've seen her fight like this." Shikamaru muses as he peeks his head around Kakashi to look over at Naruto and Sakura.

"Impulsive Ame Style..hmm." Kakashi wonders aloud

* * *

Just as I bring my kunai down towards the thick white bandages, Kankuro's free arm swings back and knocks me off of him. But as I slide off my kunai catches onto one of the straps holding the puppet to Kankuro's back, slicing it in half. He doesn't show any signs of noticing. I should've remembered he had a free arm.. the both of us get back on our feet again.

"Okay I'll admit, that was unexpected."

"I saw a couple guys get into it in an alley once." I say

"So what now? You gunna turn into some kind of animal?" Kankuro says, and I don't bother to correct him. I've been thinking about that ever since these preliminaries started. My Animal Style Transformation Jutsu has always been both my strongest offensive, and defensive weapon. But I'm aiming to try out my new jutsu, which requires quite a bit of chakra. I don't want to use up too much before I get a chance to try it out. Besides, I want to make sure I save enough chakra to cover my Shield Jutsu.

Okay, so taking him head-on like that isn't gunna get me anywhere. But would an attack from behind work? Glinting silver over to the side catches my eye.

"It worked with Zabuza." I say to myself before ripping a few shuriken from the wall. Kankuro waits for me on the other side of the room. I dash towards him again, and like I did with Zabuza, fling the shuriken at him before leaping up and over him, reaching out a hand to snatch the puppet all the way off of him. But Kankuro takes care of the shuriken quicker than I thought, and before I know it his arm swing out and pins me to the wall, causing my head to snap back hard as I give a low "oomf"

"C'mon Amedoru, shake him off!" Shikamaru's voice calls out to me, followed by similar encouragements from Naruto, Sakura, and Lee.

Kankuro whips out his own kunai and raises it up to my throat that's still covered by his arm, and my leg jerks upwards out of instinct, colliding with his chin as his hold on me releases. He slides back a few feet away from me, and we just eye each other, both of us breathing heavily. And then we rush towards each other again, and our movements are like some kind of un-synchronized pattern:

Strike, kick, swing. Block, block, strike..

Endless combinations. Sweat builds up behind my headband and trickles down my face. It doesn't matter what I try, I can't find a weak spot on him, and even though I manage to land a couple blows, he just shrugs it off before coming back almost twice as hard. I don't know for how long we've been going at it, but I wouldn't be surprised if our speed matches that of a heartbeat. It's like everything is slowing down. I duck under Kankuro's arm as he throws a fist out before hitting him hard on the side of his face with my own, but he brings his knee up and hits me hard in the gut, and I double over upon the impact. I've been relying on what Tai-Jutsu skills I have for too long now. But going into animal mode right now just doesn't feel like the right move. Kankuro and I separate, and then it hits me. The puppet is still on his back, and he hasn't used any jutsu either.

What could_ he_ be waiting for?

"This is getting real old, real fast." he says before reaching behind him to pull the puppet off his back. And to my surprise..he just tosses it to the ground beside him. He stands up straighter and looks me dead in the eye..and then piece by piece, the skin on his face starts crumbling away, dropping to the ground.

"What the?" I ask aloud. When the last piece of skin falls, all Kankuro's clothes fall off..and standing before me now in his place is-

"The puppet was disguised this whole time!"

"That's right" Kankuro's voice says, but the puppet's mouth stays clamped shut. All of a sudden the bandages wrapped around what I once thought was the puppet unwind, and the actual Kankuro crawls out of them before getting to his feet slowly. One of my feet takes a step back. Of course, it all makes sense now. Why he wasn't using any jutsu earlier, not once reaching back for his puppet..it was because he was already using it. And all the hand-to-hand combat..

"That was just to wear me out right? Make me tired so you can have your puppet take me out." I say, and half of Kankuro's mouth curves upwards, and his eyes take on a glint. "Well, I am tired..but that doesn't mean I'm going down that easy." I was planning on using my jutsu as a last resort, but since I'm taking on two at once now, It doesn't look like I have much of a choice. "Animal Style Transformation Justu!" I shout as my hands form the sign, and I land on all fours. The ground, I notice, is farther down below me. My form must be larger than usual again like back in forest.

"Suit yourself." Kankuro shrugs as he raises up an outstretched hand. Thin lines of blue emanate from his fingertips, and the puppet jerks upwards before charging towards me, being suspended above the ground.I wait until it's right about to collide with me before leaping out and over with a greater speed than what I usually have when not in animal form. I attack it from the side with a big paw sweep and succesfully knock it back a few feet, but it just comes right back at me. Four long, jagged lines are etched deep into the side of its face now. Something like a muted click sounds before several dark, thick spears come hurtling at me, and I'm able to dodge four of the seven. The other three slice through my back. I don't have time to twist my head around to inspect the damage, but the cuts feel shallow enough to where I don't have to worry much. I lead the puppet on a chase around the perimeter of the arena, and when I pass by Kankuro, he doesn't so much as try to make a direct attack towards me. In fact, he hardly flinches. He's leaving all the work to the puppet, I think to myself. Wait a minute.. the puppet is still following me from behind, and somehow I manage to jump onto the wall and continue running as I incorprate chakra on my feet to keep me steady. The puppet can only follow behind me on the ground now, so I lead it right over to Kankuro who's back is turned to us. He turns around with wide eyes right before I leap over him before switching forms into a giant ram as I push him right into the puppet.

"Atta girl, Amedoru! Good thinking!" I hear Sakura shout.

But with a snappy, quick jerk of his hand, he just sends the puppet away from him. But when he turns towards me, I notice the large tear in his shirt, as well as the few drops of blood that trickle onto the ground. I should strike at him again while he's weakened, but Kankuro's already expecting me to. He's moved the puppet to stand directly in front of him like a live, lethal shield. Suddenly my whole body jerks as I sway over to the side some, and a wave of nausea scrapes my stomach and flips it as I groan.

"Hm? Amedoru what's wrong? Kakashi-Sensei, what's happening?" I hear Naruto shout, and I close my eyes for a brief moment. I don't know whether or not Kakashi answered him.

"Oh I think I see now. You can't maintain switching forms like that for long, can you? It burns up too much of your chakra." Kankuro says, and all I do is look at him. "Well, whattya say, Crow? I think it's time for the show to start."

Brace yourself..something's coming, I think to myself.

The puppets mouth drops open, and the sound from it makes me think of sitting down slowly in an old, rickety wooden chair. It's arms raise up, and I take out a kunai. It might not be enough to protect me from whatever weapons about to come at me, but at least it's something. Besides..I don't have enough chakra now for my Shield Jutsu. A jet of inky blue smoke shoots out of the puppets mouth faster than I can even blink, and even though I flip backwards a few times to avoid it, it doesn't matter. The inky blue smoke is every where I turn-right, left, above and below. Like I'm caught in the mouth of some kind of great, smokey beast. I can hear several voices yelling out at once, but when I try and tune into them..nothing comes. Absolutely nothing. The only thing I can hear is my rapid heartbeat in both my ears. Just what kind of smoke is this? Is this even smoke at all?

"It's like the fog Zabuza used..but worse. Way worse." I say aloud, and my mouth drops open when I hear my voice echo back to me:

"Way worse..worse..worse."

Like an ominous foreshadowing. Well, its kind've too late for that, I think.

Slowly, I scan my eyes out around me, trying to find Kankuro's or his puppets shadow. If they're gunna attack from my front, that is. Something grazes across my arm, and I jerk it back. A thin rip in my shirt is enough for me to get a peek at the faint line of red inside. A senbon? Two more brief flashes of pain bite against my shin and arm again. I have to move. I jog far over to the side, trying to somehow push myself out of this smoke, but it might as well be wrapped tightly around me. A blur rushes past me and spins me around, and I strike out with my kunai. This is how Naruto must've felt with Kiba.

"Feeling.._nervous_ yet? Maybe a little .._claustrophobic_?" Kankuro's voice sounds. And it's from right behind me. I spin around in a crouch and sweep my leg out, but it only makes contact with the smoke, which separates some before swirling back together upon the contact.

"Whoops, sorry. I'm not there. I'm _here_." Kankuro's voice says again from right next to me, and I throw out a fist. Nothing.

"You're playing with my head now?" I ask out loud, and I'm surprised that my voice doesn't come out as a meek warble.

"I like to think of it as _you_ messing with your _own_ head." When I twist my head around the vague outline of Kankuro's puppet shows through, but even though my muscles tense, I force myself to stay put. It's starting to get hard for me to breathe, and as weird as it sounds..it's like my mind is growing..numb or something. Fuzzy feeling on the inside, like static. Slowly, the outline disappears.

"Ah, you're catching on now. Most people don't figure it out until the very end."

I start falling backwards before I stop myself with one hand, pushing myself back up into my crouching position. I can't stay like this forever..I may not have enough chakra, but I can't wait any longer.

_" Calm yourself..see..hear..balance."_ that deep, familiar voice in my head says, and I gasp out loud.

"Who are you?" I ask out loud, but get no response. My gut gives a jerk, and before I have time to think..my body starts acting on its own. The rapid gallop of a horse pounding in my ears slows down to a trot, and gradually it returns back to it's normal, steady walk. My lungs fill with deep breaths, and my eyes close.

"Amedoru.."

I squeeze my eyes tighter.

"Amedoru!"

And then my hearing is back, though I don't even try to open my eyes. Instead I focus all my attention on the voices of my friends.

"Oh where could she be in there?" Sakura asks in a worried tone, and I can picture her wringing both hands underneath her chin.

"This guy..w-why he..when I get my hands on him." Naruto bites out.

"Amedoru will prevail, I just know it!" Lee says in a strong voice. And then Shikamaru:

"If you can hear me in there..you've gotta push through. I know you can!"

I stand up slowly. I've come this far , and if Kankuro thinks he can take me out with whatever this jutsu is, he's wrong. I may not be a great ninja like my brother..I may not be the strongest, or the most powerful, or even the most skilled..but you can bet that I'm gunna give you everything I've got, no matter what. My hands form a sign in front of me.

_"Just do what you do.."_

_"Just have faith in yourself, because I do. We all do."_

And its when I'm on all fours with a long tail that drags on the ground that my eyes snap open. Numerous dark outlines fill up all the space inside the smoke. To my left I can make out the Sand Ninja, to my right Shikamaru's, Lee's, and my team. And several feet away from me if Kankuro with the puppet standing at his side. He takes something from his side before flinging several shuriken out. I focus more chakra to the front of my mind..but unlike the spherical shape my Shield Jutsu usually takes on, I feel it mold itself around my body. I look down and see a transparent, electrical paw surrounding my furry one. The shuriken near me, but instead of blocking them..my shield disintegrates it upon contact.

When the heck did I learn how to do that?

With a loud roar I leap forward towards Kankuro's outline, and when I break free of the smoke finally the choke hold on my body releases completely.

"THAT'S IT! WAY TO GO!" Someone shouts out.

"Wh-what is that around her? Some kind of shield?" I hear someone else say, and when I make contact with Kankuro his eyes shrink a little before going back to their usual size.

"So you escaped my Dark Shade Justu, huh? I'm impressed, really."

I begin to stalk in a wide circle around him slowly, and Kankuro pivots on his heel at the same speed, the both of us watching each other. Suddenly A couple kunai, as well as more senbon that are released from the puppets fingertips come flying at me. But they're all disintegrated by my shield. Gasps and exclamations come from all four corners of the room as Kankuro gives a startles step back.

"Wh..what the?!"

Then I leap right for him, and his eyes flutter when his head makes smacks hard onto the stone floor, bouncing a couple times. My claws start sinking into his skin, and I rip them away hastily when I realize what I'm doing. Both his hands wrap around my throat, but my weight on-top of him added to his recent injuries are enough to knock him out for a little bit. Releasing my jutsu, breathing in deeply as I raise to my feet shakily.

"I-is it..is it over?" I hear Sakura mutters,.

"Not yet." I say out loud before lifting my head up to my brother and friends directly in front of me on the far side of the room. Sakura gasps out loud a little..and everyone else besides my brother is staring at me with eyes filled with something I can't quite name. Shikamaru, Naruto, and Lee are all gripping the railing with both hands, and I can't help but think that if the railing wasn't there they'd all fall down face forwards. Kakashi has one hand resting over his Sharingan eye that's till covered..but the look in his normal, obsidian colored one is the same as it was before. Steely..and very, very troubled. Remember what you told me, Kakashi?. I can do it. I'm going to, I think to myself before giving them all a smile that I hope sends them comfort and reassurance, though the act in itself is very tiring.

* * *

_The bag over Kakashi's shoulder bounced as he hopped from branch to branch. Amedoru had been training hard for the exams, and she was hardly seen around the village, and even the Hatake home for that matter, opting for the forest instead. Kakashi had offered to help her, but Amedoru had looked at him with a mixture of guilt, self-reproach, and internal conflict. "That's okay, Kakashi. I uh, wanna work on some stuff..and I kind've want it to be a surprise." she said after a long moment, and sadness was evident in her voice. Hopefully she won't mind me visiting anyways, Kakashi thought to himself before hopping down from the branch silently..and directly behind Amedoru. She whipped around with a startled expression. _

_"Hey there." Kakashi greeted pleasantly as he waved with an eye-smile. _

_"Hey." Amedoru said as Kakashi eyed the small field before him. It's being put to good use, that's for sure, he thought to himself. But what could she be working on that she doesn't want me to see? "You okay?" Amedoru asked, and Kakashi blinked before swinging the bag over his shoulder and holding it out in front of him._

_"I know I said I'd leave you to your training, but I figured a small break wouldn't hurt. I made us some lunch." _

_Amedoru's eyes traveled from the bag to Kakashi's face, and he felt something stir inside at the tender look she was giving him. _

_"That sounds great." she said, and he wondered why it was that her voice cracked._

_They ate a simple meal of rice balls wrapped in dried seaweed in the treetops, side by side. Legs dangling below them. _

_"You've been training hard for these exams." Kakashi said all of a sudden, and Amedoru turned her head towards him. " These exams are brutal..cruel, even, at times." He broke off as he turned to look at her. He had watched her grow right before his eyes..and she was growing even still. She wasn't the little girl from long ago, but she was still his little sister. She always would be. "But despite all the pain, and the suffering, and the challenges you're going to face, Amedoru..I truly believe you can pull through. So do your teammates, and Shikamaru, and even Gai and Lee. And I think that one mutual feeling that is shared between you all makes you even stronger. And with a team, your'e strongest only when you are one."_

* * *

The puppet lying far out in front of me is still and unmoving, but it's mouth as well as several slots on its side and fingertips are all open, waiting to launch out more weapons. I stand to the side and plant my feet about shoulder width apart before making several animal signs with my right hand while the other is clutching my upper arm, trying to keep it stable as it starts shaking from all the chakra flowing through it. Haku really inspired me with the whole one-handed signs thing, so this is something I've been practicing in secret ever since the Land Of Waves Mission. The puppet on the ground stirs into an upright position, but I keep on making the same signs over and over. I need to get just the right amount of chakra built up. Otherwise, this jutsu isn't going to work. The puppet arms itself with a menagerie of kunai, shuriken, and more senbon before flying towards me.

"WATCH OUT!" Naruto shouts.

* * *

_Takes place two days after Kakashi gives Team 7 the admission forms for the exams:_

_Amedoru huffed heavily as she flopped down on her backside onto the stiff grass beneath her. Shuriken and kunai were scattered all around her, some in various tree trunks, others buried deep into the ground. She had decided that she would begin training for the exams as soon as possible ever since Kakashi gave her the admission form, and she had stuck to her word. She got up very early in the mornings, earlier than Kakashi, and headed deep into the forest. The trees in the area were thick and scattered far enough apart to provide a good clearing where Amedoru could move freely, and it was far enough from her house where Kakashi wouldn't be able to see or hear anything. But then again..this is Kakashi we're talking about. Amedoru wouldn't be surprised if he were to appear right in between the two trees on her far left. He did sneak up on her a few days ago. Amedoru's body ached, and she was exhausted and hungry, but nonetheless focused all her attention on building herself up, determined to prove herself not just to her brother, but to the others as well. So taking another breath, Amedoru slowly got back on her feet before standing sideways and bringing both hands up in front of her. Her target this time was a large boulder several feet away from her._

* * *

"SILENT THUNDER JUTSU!"

My voice comes out loud and strong, despite how I'm feeling otherwise. The puppet nears, and I clench the hand that made all the signs into a tight fist as I slam it hard knuckle-first onto the ground. Blood starts leaking out either side of it. I feel the chakra race out forwards underneath me in an silent, invisible bolt of lightning, and when it finds it's target it rips up through the floor with a sound like a loud, booming thunderclap right underneath the puppet. My arm flies out in front of me to protect my head and face as large chunks of Kankuro's puppet fly in random angles all over the floor. An arm lands near me, and small lines of lightning run all over it before fading away. The crater in the ground from my jutsu that marks where the puppet was is smoking, and I press my hands flat on the ground and hunch over, breathing heavily. When I open my eyes, everything is tilting and doubling. It's not nearly as bad as the Sound Ninja's attack..but it still unnerves me. I start to rise onto my feet before I topple forwards, and I turn my body around so that I land on my side instead of flat on my face. Everything is dead silent. Until-

"AMEDORU!" Several voices shout out at once, but when I try to blink my eyes open, I can't focus on anything.

Footsteps shuffle towards me.

"You may have destroyed my puppet with that nifty little jutsu of yours, but you still have me to deal with." Kankuro chuckles. " Look at you, all beaten up. All the trouble you went to, and look where its gotten you. Now everyone's gonna watch you go down for the last time." His voice develops an edge on the last sentance. And suddenly..there are two kunai coming straight towards me.

"NO!" a chorus of voices cry out. And I close my eyes as soon as the kunai sinks in, making my body jerk.

Sinks in..

into the severed puppet arm held in front of me protectively. The single kunai vibrates and hums before becoming still, and I lower the wood slowly, revealing Kankuro's shocked face.

"B-but how? You shouldn't be able to react that quick!"

I roll over and push myself up with my hands, and when I'm up again, my body hunches forward, so I place a hand on the wall behind me for support.

"I..I've been told I can be pretty..impulsive." I say, and Kankuro just stares back at me with a slack jaw.

"That's it Amedoru! Take this guy out for good!"

And then I realize that Kankuro's jaw is slack from anticipation..excitement, even. He chuckles again before it turns into full blown, hearty laughs.

"Hey! What's got you so tickled?!" Shikamaru shouts down in an angry voice, and Kankuro rolls his eyes before turning around in his direction.

"Geez, how dense are you leaf ninja? Take a nice long look at her, pal. What do you see?"

Shikamaru doesn't answer him, but his head turns towards me so slowly its like he's scared to look at me. And then his face falls.

"My Dark Shade Jutsu? I didn't use it to just mess with her head." Kankuro nods his head back towards me, and speaks in a loud voice, a voice that's addressing everyone in here. And then he turns around towards me again, and I double over before coughing harshly. I can feel my eyes shrink as small blood droplets drip onto the ground from my open mouth. "Ah, it's getting worse now. All those attacks I sent at you when you were caught in my jutsu? Those were just to distract you from the bigger picture."

"Bigger picture?"

It clicks all of a sudden.

"You were distracting me from the smoke." I say as I lift my eyes to his, and Kankuro smirks.

"Bingo. You see, with every breath you took in there, not only were the levels of hysteria heightened..you were also breathing in a type of vaporized poison that's making your body start to shut down right this very moment."

I almost fall back onto the wall as more gasps and whispering fills the room.

-"She's done for, it's over."

-"I actually feel sorry for the kid, she lasted pretty long."

-"And to thing..with the lineage she comes from.."

When I look up at the balcony my friends and brother are standing on, all of their mouths are open. Kakashi is so pale.. both his hands grasp onto the the railing in front of him.

"So I'm not going to attack you any more." Kankuro says again " I can just wait you out."

The proctor hurries over to me and looks down at me with a questioning gaze. "Are you able to go on? Do you want me to end this match?"

"No, not yet please. I'ts not over yet." I stare at Kankuro and another coughing fit racks my body.

"You do know the choice you're making if you go on like this, right?"

"I think a moment before nodding at him. And he nods back to me grimly after a moment before teleporting back to his former position far away from Kankuro and I.

"You're insane. You're only gunna speed up the process more." Kankuro says. Could there be a chance he might not want to kill me? That's ridiculous though..after all, he's the one who poisoned me.

"I'm still breathing, aren't I?" I reply as I shuffle closer towards him, despite the protests from my friends.

But before I can say anything back the ground gives a violent quiver, and large cracks slice through the floor and branch off of each other, like veins. Kankuro looks at me, and I look at him, and the last thing I see before the floor gives is the look of pure horror on my brother's face. Loud shouts and a few screams follow me down into the hole.

* * *

I don't know how it happened, but as I fell backwards my body righted myself, and out of instinct my arm reaches forward, the tips of my fingers grip hard onto a piece of rock that juts outward. The weight on my leg makes me look down..and Kankuro looks back up at me with dilated eyes. How in the world did-?

"I can't hold on much longer." I grit out. My whole body is starting to feel icy inside..numb. Are we really going to die here? I glance over my shoulder down below, and a long winding staircase winds around a small black hole. We aren't going to make that fall. What do I do? Kankuro's grip around my ankle disappears, and his scream is cut off as I grab him by his wrist. His head smacks against the side of the short rock wall, and his weight intensifies as his eyes shut.

"AMEDORU!" Kakashi and Gai shout down to me. I close my eyes tight as my fingers slip.

And then I just let go.

I flap my wings as hard as I can, and the ceiling of the arena gets closer and closer until I flap weakly out of the hole with the nape of Kankuro's shirt in my beak.

"Impossible!" Someone up above shouts, and my body jolts before my jutsu is released, and Kankuro drops to the ground with a thud. I've used up too much chakra..now I really know how Kakashi feels I think to myself as I fall forwards. But a pair of strong, safe arms catch me and lower me to the ground.

"A-amedoru? Can you hear me?"

I open my eyes and my vision clears enough for me to make out the face of my brother hovering over me with so many emotions running through his eye, it's hard to say which is the most prominent. He brings me up into a half-sitting position with one arm curled around me.

"Did I.." I start asking, but I'm too tired to try and finish.

"Yeah, Ame. You sure did." Kakashi says in a soft voice.

"Hey! Kakashi-Sensei! Is she alright?!" Naruto shouts, followed by Sakura:

"Kakashi-Sensei!"

Rapid breathing and footsteps pound across the ground, and someone slides to a stop next to me followed by a few others.

"Hey Shikamaru." I say with a half grin as I twist my head to the side.

"Hey." he says back in a soft voice, like Kakashi did. He places his hand on my wrist, wrapping around it gently. And then he smiles down at me. Suddenly Naruto, Sakura,and Lee appear kneeling down next to me, and the faces of Gai, Asuma, and Kurenai-Sensei hover next to my brother.

"Amedoru..that was.-" Sakura begins

"You were.." Naruto says.

"Amazing." Shikamaru finishes. "You're amazing."

"That was some fight you put up, hun." Gai says with a big smile.

"Indeed it was. It was very inspiring." Lee says with a sniffle.

The sound of throat clearing alerts me to the proctors presence, and he gets up from Kankuro's side before bending over me, inspecting me before standing up straight.

"Seeing as Kankuro is unable to continue this match, the winner is Amedoru Hatake."

My eyes start fluttering closed, but I'm still able to make out a few things.

"We have the antidote right here. We can't waste more time trying to take her to the infirmary to do it."

Is that a medic?

"Wow..just look at it." A different voice says.

Something jabs into my thigh, and Kakashi's arm around me tightens.

" There. She's going to be alright now. She just needs some time to rest." the voice from before says again.

I think I'll sleep now..yeah, sleep sounds good. Just for a little bit.


	18. The Wooden Post: Warnings

"Lets go ahead and move her to a room." One of the medics said as he placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. Kakashi squeezed his arms around Amedoru firmly in hesitation at first, but it loosened when two others grabbed Amedoru by her underarms and legs to lay her on the stretcher. Shikamaru still had a firm hold on her wrist, but when the team of medics stood up with Amedoru in tow, he let go before shoving both hands deep into his pockets with his mouth etched as a deep, rigged line. Kakashi began following behind the small procession when his ears picked up on someone trying to follow behind him so softly it was impressive.

"I wanna be there when she comes around. "Shikamaru said from right beside Kakashi when he stopped and turned his head.

"I know. But I think it's best if you stay here with your team." Kakashi said with understanding as he plopped a hand down heavily onto Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, but it closed quickly before taking on its previous form, though the line his lips made was more severe, and his eyes were troubled looking. Sad.

"Bu-But Kakashi-Sensei?! Me, Sakura, and Shikamaru are already done with our matches! How come we can't-" Naruto exclaimed in a half-shout as he took a step forward, and for once Sakura didn't reach over to smack him on the head, or even open her mouth to reprimand him. She just stood with her arms wrapped around herself with big eyes.

" Don't worry, Kakashi. I'll keep an eye on 'em." Gai interrupted as he walked up next to Naruto, and Gai and Kakashi shared a look of understanding before Kakashi let out a breath.

Gai's tone was light, but it contrasted heavily with the grim look on his face that made both his eyebrows scrunch together. When Amedoru had hunched over due to the effects of Kankuro's Dark Shade Poison, Gai had turned his head to the side slightly. While Kakashi had remained cool and passive looking on the outside, the anxious and pained look mixed in with some degree of hatred was like the first signs of a storm in his eyes. It was something that couldn't go unnoticed by Gai, no matter how hard Kakashi tried to hide it. Gai's eyebrows furrowed together as his own eyes were pulled back down to the two figures below. Amedoru had grabbed hold of a piece of Gai's heart, like she seemed to do with almost everyone she met, and Gai wondered to himself if there was a look similar to Kakashi's in his own eyes..invisible to all the others.

The team of medics disappeared though the small double doors, and Kakashi spared a last look at the multiple frowning faces behind him before he turned around fully and began walking at a quicker pace than normal towards the doors. He caught the unconscious form of Kankuro being further examined by another medic team out of the corner of his eye, and a brief surge of anger coursed through him. As a shinobi, he knew that these exams were necessary, but that still didn't change the fact that the boy nearly killed his sister. He glanced up and saw Kankuro's team staring down with hardened expressions, mainly from the girl and the Sensei. The red head, though, had no emotion whatsoever on his face, though his eyes were narrowed slightly. As Kakashi neared the door, he stepped past a small collection of blood droplets that shone a dark red, and he paused just a moment to stare at it before kneeling down on one leg and wiping it up with his thumb. Now all that was left was an arched, dark smudge.

* * *

Kakashi made to sure to stay completely out of the way while the medic team looked over his sister. The only female in the group began wiping off the blood from all the gashes Amedoru acquired during the battle, and as she gently lifted up her hand to examine her blue and purple blotched knuckles, she glanced quickly at Kakashi, who was leaned up against one of the walls.

"That must've been quite a fight down there."

"Yeah,it was." Kakashi said with a bit of an edge to his voice, and the medic ducked her head just a little as she wrapped a long strip of white bandage around Amedoru's hand.

"Hm..it doesn't feel like there's any bone damage. That's odd." the medic spoke again with surprise as she placed Amedoru's limp hand back to her side, and Kakashi seemed to glide across the floor as he peered over the medic's shoulder in an attempt to see what she was seeing. A different medic made a comment about the cut going across Amedoru's shoulder, and Kakashi wondered to himself how that managed to happen. Ame's shirt was also torn in that area, so the attack must've been spontaneous. The team kept working for a while longer before they all began filing out the door, all except for one.

"There, she's all patched up now. All she needs to do is rest for a while." The same medic that gave Amedoru the antidote said in a friendly tone to Kakashi, who nodded gratefully as he pulled a chair beside her bed and sat down in it slowly. "Sir, are you alright?"

"Oh yeah. Nothing to worry about." Kakashi said with an eye smile as he waved a hand, and the medic gave him a brief questioning look before slipping out the door after doing one last check over Amedoru. Kakashi sighed and leaned back in the chair as soon as the door closed. It was hard enough explaining the link of pain he shared with Amedoru to the very few people who already knew about it, but trying to talk a stranger through it all would be impossible. As Kakashi's eyes found his sisters face, he noticed how still she was. He could barely make out the gentle rise and fall of her chest showing that she was still breathing. What is she thinking about this very moment? Is she even aware of everything that's going on? Kakashi thought to himself.

Is it my fault this happened?

Kakashi's arms crossed in front of him as he thought, and he let out a sigh. It wasn't that he didn't have faith in her, no, that would be a lie. Because in reality..there were a few rare moments where Kakashi believed in Amedoru even more than he believed in himself. He just felt guilty. Guilty because while Amedoru was getting the the hell beat out of her earlier in the battle, all Kakashi could do was watch. The Sensei side in Kakashi preached on only about the rules and regulations, but the big brother side felt small with every passing minute that his little sister was hurt.

And there was no denying the major question that was spinning continuously on an indestructible axis in Kakashi's mind. He flashed back to the look of curiousness on the female medics face when she was examining Amedoru's hand- how the damage was bad, but not as bad as it _should_ be. An ominous swirling began in Kakashi's gut as another question pushed itself out of its mental barrier:

Just where did all that chakra..all that power, come from?

_Flashback:_

_"You know, you could be missing Amedoru's match." Sasuke said from his place on the ground as he slightly cocked his head to the side. Kakashi finished tracing the sealing designs on Sasuke's back._

_"I know." He said in a quiet, saddened voice before he cleared his throat and brought his hands in front of him and performed the sealing jutsu, making Sasuke pass out cold on the ground afterwards._

_"... Sasuke isn't the only one you want to worry about." Orochimaru said as he leaned against a pillar, his eyes taking on a lust-like quality. " Young Amedoru seems to posses certain..qualities that I find particularly unique." Orochimaru's tongue flickered in and out in a fluid motion, and when he spoke next his voice took on a mocking, yet honest tone. " I must say, Kakashi, you're doing a fine job of raising her"_

_Kakashi's voice came out as a low, biting snap " You leave her out of this."_

_Orochimaru chuckled "I'm afraid it's too late for that, Kakashi."_

_Slowly, Orochimaru began backtracking before stepping to the side, hiding half of his body behind the stone pillar. Kakashi's hand tightened painfully around the handle of his kunai knife more, but his feet stayed planted firmly on the ground. Orochimaru's body blended in with the darkness, and the only thing visible were his pair of reptilian eyes that shone far too brightly. " She's a special one, that Amedoru. She has such a..light, in her. My, I don't think I've seen something quite like it in all my years. The child does not yet know the true talent she possesses..but I wonder, maybe one day.." his voice faded out, but still echoed silky smooth._

_And for a while, Kakashi just stood there, facing the darkness in front of him, with an idea something close to the end of the world forming icy cold in his heart. _

He leaned forward in the chair and propped his elbows onto his knees as Orochimaru's desire-filled voice purred on in his mind. And then he thought back to the match.

Amedoru's new jutsus..

All the chakra she used, and how long she was able to last with it..far longer than any Genin should have..

The way her animal forms looked now. How huge they were compared to what they used to be.

And of course, Kakashi couldn't forget about the brief look of viciousness in her eyes when she escaped Kankuro's Dark Shade. It was almost like something had taken over.

Kakashi didn't know what was going on, but one thing he knew for certain.

"I won't let him get close to you again." he said, and Orochimaru's voice finally ceased inside his mind.

Kakashi reached over and brushed back a long, sweaty bang sticking to the side of Amedoru's face, and her fingers twitched before she went back to being just as still as before, much to Kakashi's relief. He was beginning to become concerned with how still she was. A distant bird call sounded, and his eyes lifted, noticing the window across the room that exposed a wide view of the dark forest foliage. He got up and crossed the floor before opening the window halfway. She's always loved the window open ever since she was a kid, no matter what the temperature was like outside, Kakashi thought fondly. He took a moment to stare out at the thick forest in front of him, absorbing the humid breeze that wafted in before taking a seat back in the chair, facing Amedoru once more. He watched her a long time, and almost forgot the orange book in his vest pocket.

* * *

It's all dark. Everything. Are my eyes even open? Something far out in front of me..a big,undefinable outline, it looks like, glows for a second before vanishing all together, and heavy labored breathing is the only thing reminding me that what I saw was real. Something exhales long and gravely, and then the only thing I can hear is my heartbeat thumping. I feel a warm breeze coast over me..and then I hear another sound, like light rustling.

"When are you finally gunna finish that?" I ask as I turn my head to the side with opened eyes , and my voice comes out with a small rasp to it. Kakashi brings the book down from his face as he uncrosses his leg, and through his mask I can tell he's smiling.

"Between you and me, the story gets a little better every time I re-read it. You're awake sooner than I expected." His smile fades as he puts the book back in his vest pocket, and he scoots the chair he's sitting in up further so that both his knees touch my bed, and he leans forward to stare right into my eyes. " Amedoru, how are you feeling?"

"Achy.. but other than that I actually feel..kinda good." As weird as that sounds, it's the truth. Sure, most of my body is sore and everything, but inside I feel normal. It's kinda hard to explain. Kakashi's eye narrows slightly, and I bet that the eyebrow above it's cocked upwards underneath his headband. "And how are you feeling?"

"Better now that you're awake."

I start sitting up slowly, and when Kakashi's arm reaches out to me I assume he's going to try and force me back down..but instead he just slips his arm around my shoulders and helps me rise, though the way he's looking at me is like he's expecting me to keel over any second.

"Easy.." he coaxes.

"What happened to Kankuro?" I ask, and the look in his eye changes.

" Well, when the both of you came out of the hole, he was unconscious. I overheard one of the medics say that aside from some bruising and deep cuts in his abdominal region, he has a small concussion. But he's gunna be fine."

I swing my legs over the side of the bed, and Kakashi sticks out one arm before it rests back on his knee.

"That's um, thats good."

He may be somewhat sadistic, and he's definately someone I wouldn't mind not seeing again for the rest of my life, but still, I don't want him to die or anything.

"What happened down there was really something, Amedoru. You've always had a fair amount of chakra in you..but I had no idea you have this much. That hole in the ground you and Kankuro fell through was actually caused by an aftershock from your "Silent Thunder Jutsu."Speaking of which, where did you learn how to do that?"

"Well, I was already planning on developing new jutsus before the exams began..and one day when I was training the idea just came to me. I think there was a thunderstorm that day, now that I think about it."

There's that troubled look in his eye again, and I don't think it's just because of what happened during my match. Before Kakashi can try to cover it up, I just jump straight to the point, and my fingers on one hand switch from picking at each other to popping my knuckles.

"Kakashi, did Sasuke tell you about O-Orochimaru?" My eyes flit left to right quickly, even though the only ones in the room are my brother and I. And I always feel safe with Kakashi. Always.

"No. But I know he gave Sasuke the Curse Mark." Kakashi says.

I start telling Kakashi about what happened in the Forest Of Death starting from right when the rest of my team and I walked through the gates. I tell him about how quiet it was inside, and how Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and I all got separated for a while, and how after Naruto and I defeated the giant snake we found Sasuke and Sakura with that Grass Ninja. At this Kakashi's eye narrows, and it's then that I realize he hasn't blinked once since I've started telling him what happened.

"It's weird, but..but as soon as I saw her, er him with Naruto earlier, I knew something was off. There was just something in its eyes. Naruto had a cut that was bleeding on his cheek before we went into the forest, and when the grass ninja saw it.."

Kakashi leaned forward a little more. "How did Orochimaru manage to give Sasuke the bite?"

The humid breeze continues to ghost into the room as I describe to Kakashi our fight with Orochimaru. Everything comes back right before my eyes as I tell it, and I don't think I forget all the things that happened no matter how much I'd like to. Although I leave out the part where the atmosphere around Naruto ..changed, and how Orochimaru caught me by the throat when I leaped down to try and help Naruto..as well as the personal after-effects it had on me. I just don't think right here and now is the best place to talk about it. After the events with Orochimaru I go into our fight with the Sound Ninja that next morning, and when I describe to Kakashi about the sound wave attack that was used on Ro-Lee, and I , a dawning look glints in his eye.

" I was wondering what Lee was talking with you about earlier." Kakashi says as he nods. " The way you described your Shield Justu is different from what I saw earlier.." his voice trails off, and when he speaks next its in a very low voice, almost like a whisper. Like he's talking more to himself. " The fact that you were able to change the form of your jutsu this quickly is amazing.

Truth be told, I don't think it was actually _me._

Silence passes between us before Kakashi speaks again: " You said that your animal forms became bigger in the forest?"

My fingers twitch, and before I can think of what I'm saying, the words just start coming out. " It started right after Or-"

"Oh good, your awake!" A friendly voice sounds from the doorway, and Kakashi and I snap our heads at the same time towards it's direction. A sharp, stinging pain shoots from the base of my neck all the way to the top of my head, and I wince as my head ducks down a little. The medic is at my side in only a few short strides, and he places two fingers on the sore spot on my neck before pressing down and rubbing it in small circles. The pain starts ebbing away. " Well I must say, I was expecting you to come around in at least a few days, miss Hatake!"

What?

"Uh, how long was I out for?"

"Only A few hours." Kakashi says, and the medic nods.

"You've used up a lot of chakra, not to mention that poison you inhaled from your match did a number on your body. The antidote had an effect on you quickly, but my team and I figured you would go into a remission of sorts for a while-at least long enough for you to build up your chakra and energy levels again." The medic steps back and looks from Kakashi and I, and his arms raise before flopping back down to his sides like he's surprised, though when he notices the curious looks Kakashi, and myself, probably, are giving him, he's quick to explain. "I'm sorry. It's just that after all the strain your body's been through, its just ..strange how you're this..this..-"

"This alright?" I say, and the medic nods. "Yeah..I'm beginning to wonder about that too."

"With your injuries, you shouldn't be this steady on your feet yet. You'll still have some after-effects, in fact" The medic says after a brief moment of silence before sharing a look with my brother. With what tension there is in the air..I don't even wanna see what Kakashi's expression looks like.

I've always healed at a normal rate, although I can recall a few times when I recovered faster than what I was supposed too, at least according to my brother. It's never been something thats made me, or even Kakashi for that matter, worry about it. But now when I look into the medics eyes and see something like a mixture between surprise, curiosity, and even fear..well its making me start wondering if this is something not normal. My right hand clenches, and I let out a hiss as an intense, aching pain radiates throughout it from under the crisp, white bandages wrapped around it, covering my hand up to the knuckles, but leaving all my fingers free. It was hurting when I woke up, but it's like I forgot completely about it until now.

"That hand of yours is busted up pretty badly, but with due time it should heal. I'm afraid there might be some scarring, though, on your knuckles. " the medic says.

"I'm grateful to you and your team for treating me."

"It's not a problem." The medic says as he smiles, and he walks over to me again before making me go through a series of short muscle movement tests-raising my arms over my head, rolling my head and shoulders, flexing my feet..that kinda stuff. He marks something down and turns towards the doorway.

"Is it alright if I move around? I mean, am I free to go?" I ask.

"Whatever you decide is fine. You can rest up here a while longer , or you can go back down to the arena. I believe I overheard someone saying the floor is almost repaired for the final match." The medic smiles at me one more time before Kakashi lets out a "thank you."

"Floor repair? How long has that been going on?" I ask Kakashi as I turn around and gesture back towards the door.

"As soon as your match was over and you and Kankuro were situated in your individual rooms. Some Earth Style specialists and a few of the Jounin instructors were patching it up fairly quickly, last I heard. Wouldn't want the last two Genin falling to their deaths on accident..though with a hole that size, how could you miss it?" Kakashi chuckles, but it dies down quickly when he sees the thoughtful look thats probably carved onto my face.

The last two Genin..

"Oh my- Ro-Lee and Gaara!"

I twist around and try to make a dash towards the door, but I can't even reach my arm out to grasp the handle before everything, including myself, tilts violently over to the side, and my body is like one giant ache. I see what the doctor meant now about how I shouldn't really be up and about yet.

Kakashi's arm slides around my shoulders as he grips onto my hand tightly"Easy, Amedoru! Don't over-do it!" Kakashi orders in a stern, angry voice, before adding in a softer tone " You just woke up."

"I-I'm sorry."

My breathing's coming a lot easier now, but even when I straighten up and give Kakashi a quick, reassuring smile, he doesn't release his hold on me.

And then I notice how quiet it is.

"The match must've started already." I say as I give Kakashi's hand a squeeze before moving towards the door and yanking it open. Kakashi's at my side in an instant.

"I know how important Lee is to you, but you're not in the best of shape to be walking around yet. You should stay here and rest up."

"I was just moving too fast, I'm sure-"

"Amedoru." Kakashi cuts me off.

"It's _Lee._" I say. " I have to be there for him. I want to be." Kakashi doesn't say anything, and reluctantly, I pull my hand away from the handle. " I just moved too fast earlier..and right now I feel fine." Kakashi just crosses his arms in front of his chest.

"And what happens if you collapse in the arena?"

There is that possibility..

"Then I'll just come back here and rest up for however long you want me to. And I'll try to stop asking so many questions about the books you read."

Kakashi lets out a short chuckle before he gets serious again "I still don't think its a good idea, Amedoru."

* * *

After a little more arguing, Kakashi makes me sit back down on the bed while he goes to try and find another medic. I think he said he wanted to ask a few more questions. The room is absolutely silent and calm..and I think thats part of the reason why I feel so on edge. Lee and Gaara's match has started already, no doubt. It shouldn't be this quiet..shouldn't it?

"Lee's okay. You're just making yourself nervous." I say to myself out loud, and a mental reply follows it:

Maybe the reason why its so quiet is because the battle's intense and something bad is happening.

I start rising up from the bed before plopping back down. My brother told me to stay here..the look in his eye..

But Lee could be in trouble, and besides, I feel fine. I mean, I'm incredibly sore and tired, but I'm able to at least keep on my feet. As long as I don't move to fast I should be fine. I clasp both hands together so my fingers don't pick at each other as the arguing carries on in my head. And then I finally make up my mind.

My head peers around the doorway, and when I see both sides are clear, the rest of me slips out from the room as I walk as quickly as possible down the hallway. The medic from before said I was free to go if I wanted to, so he's not the one I'm trying to avoid running into. A twinge of guilt shoots through me, and I can feel my lips turn down at the corners. There's multiple rooms I pass by..but the one up ahead catches my attention the most. As I approach it, the subtle green light that shines out from under the door seems to glow just a little brighter. I stop and peer into the half-open door, and a heavy rock sinks deep into my stomach. A total of eight medics are gathered around a body lying flat on the ground, with their hands all raised and outstretched over that person. That's where the green light's coming from. And when one of the medics shifts to the side..no, glides, it seems, I see the side of Hinata's unconscious face with a faded red river coming out of the corner of her mouth.

"I know you didn't win the match, but we're proud of you. Especially Naruto." I whisper, though Hinata's face doesn't change. How could I expect it to? A pair of warm hands land on my shoulders before squeezing lightly.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi." I say without turning my head around to peer up at him.

"We'll talk about this later, but..I know how much Lee means to you." he says after a while before giving my shoulders another quick squeeze as he pushes me forward, and the door fades away behind the both of us.

We make our way up to a pair of double doors that should lead us onto the balcony above the arena, and when I push them open Kakashi's hands leave my shoulders.

"H-Hey! Guys look, it's Amedoru!" I hear Naruto's voice shout before I spot him racing towards me.

"Oh boy" Kakashi mutters as he steps around from behind me with both arms outstretched, ready to absorb Naruto's impact as he leaps up into the air. But it never comes.

"YOU IDIOT! Amedoru just woke up, do you want to send her back to the infirmary?!"

I have no idea how Sakura managed to catch up to Naruto that fast..

"Ow, OW Sakura! That hurts!" Naruto yelps as he claws at the hand holding his ear in a death grip. I glance my eyes to the side and spot Shikamaru standing on the other side of the room with his team. His head lifts before his mouth curves upwards, and he uses his hands to help push him off the railing before taking off in a sprint.

"How are you feeling?" Sakura asks me after she gets done lecturing Naruto. I can't help but notice how..motherly her voice sounds.

"I'm feeling a lot better than before." I say with a smile, and Naruto returns it.

"I knew that Kankuro guy couldn't stomp you!"

I reach out and nudge a fist (the un-injured one) against Naruto's shoulder. "Thanks, Naruto."

"Amedoru!"

Sakura steps to the side with Naruto beside her to let Shikamaru through, and a few drops of sweat drip down the side of his face. And to my surprise..and probably everyone elses, Shikamaru reaches out and grabs me up in a hug so quick I don't get a chance to return it. He's never been one for hugging. He's like my brother, in that way. A bittersweet smile makes my lips arch.

"I'm glad you're okay..but why are you out so soon?" Shikamaru asks as he pulls away and he gives me a quick once-over. "I mean with what happened-"

"The medic says Ame just needs some time to recuperate." Kakashi jumps in with a smooth tone. He shoots me a sideways glance that tells me not to say anything about it-let him talk. "That Shield-Justu absorbed most of the impact, I suppose. It was the poison that really did a number on her."

Sakura and Naruto "oh", but Shikamaru just nods as he stares down at the bandage wrapped around my right hand.

"Hows Lee doing? Where's Gai?" I ask, and Shikamaru gestures back behind him with his head.

Gai's standing in the same place he was before with a strong, yet grim look on his face. And when I look down I see why it's been so quiet. It's not because Lee, or even Gaara are injured or anything..yet. Its because every attack Lee makes is blocked by a giant wall of sand that rises out of the gourd on Gaara's back faster than I can even blink. Sand. And it's not just protecting Gaara..it's acting as his sole weapon! He's not even moving a finger! Shikamaru, my brother, and my team and I all walk over to stand next to Gai, and when he sees us he gives me a small smile before focusing again on the battle below. Lee rushes for Gaara again and executes a group of various attack combinations..but Gaara's sand just matches him move for move. Even when Lee yanks out a kunai, which is something he hardly does, it only parts the sand like water for a brief moment before it groups back together.

"Woah" Naruto breathes as several shuriken come flying at Gaara's sand wall.

"As fast as Lee is, he can't get anywhere near Gaara!" Sakura says, and I lean against the railing more.

'"And Gaara isn't even moving..he's not even blinking."

This has gotta be what Kabuto was referring to when he was telling us how Gaara's always been able to come out of a mission totally unharmed. It's that sand, I think to myself as it swirls around Gaara before resting on the ground around him in a neat circle. Back before, I have to admit I thought the sand was actually..pretty, the way it spiraled around him. The way the sunlight glinted off it and made it shimmer. But now it just looks ominous, and the vibes radiating from both it and Gaara is just..just-

"..I hope you aren't done entertaining me yet. We haven't had enough..blood." My ears pick up on Gaara's low voice.

"Oh my.." I start, but the rest of my words won't come out.

Gaara's sand races towards Lee before grabbing him by the leg and slamming him against the wall after whirling him around.

"I don't get it..he's only using Tai-Justu." Sakura says after Lee gets up and comes at Gaara again. "Can't he see that's not going to work? Why doesn't he just get some distance and use Nin-Jutsu?"

I want to start explaining everything to Sakura, but Gai beats me to it. " Yes, that would be a good idea..if Lee had any. Lee has no Nin-Justu or Gen-Just skills whatsoever."

"You're kidding." Sakura says

Gai chuckles " You should have seen how hopeless he was when I first met him. No talent whatsoever."

"I can't believe it.."

Lee starts back-flipping in order to avoid Gaara's sand that's coming for him in the form of a giant hand..but he looses his footing when another strip of sand races over the ground and trips him up. It's getting closer and closer, and Lee's staring at it with widening eyes.

"Roll, Lee!" I call out with some hysteria as I bang a hand onto the railing, making myself wince. Should have used the other hand.

"It's over." Shikamaru says sadly, but Gai just chuckles with an easy, toothless smile on his face. And then I see Lee's body as it flips upwards into the air, unharmed from Gaara's sand. He lands on-top the finger pointing upwards of the giant hand statue.

"..some might consider that a disadvantage" Gai says in reference to Lee's Tai-Jutsu "but that's what makes him a winner. Go ahead, Lee! Take him down!"

Lee looks over at us "But Gai-Sensei, you said I'm only supposed to use that when the lives of very important people were at stake!"

I've heard Lee say something like that before..

Gai gives Lee the okay to do whatever he's gunna do, so Lee plops down cross-legged onto the finger and starts taking off his orange leg warmers, revealing the leg weights Lee's had ever since Gai gave them to him a long time ago..but the writing written all around the tops of them is foreign to me. Whats the point of him taking those-

"Of course. I can't believe I forgot!" I say, and Gai sends me a sly smile. I remember stumbling across Lee training one day after Gai gave him those leg weights. Lee had beckoned me over towards him before leaning over and whispering in my ear, pulling away with a giant smile on his face. I remember thinking an attack like that was impossible to do, but now I take it back.

"What is it? You know what he's planning?" Shikamaru asks me as Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura all turn their heads.

"Just make sure to keep your eyes on Ro-Lee" I say as I turn towards Shikamaru and smile, and Gai's head dips downwards subtly.

"Ah! That is much better! Now I can move freely!" Lee says with a happy expression..and when he drops both weights to the ground they both make an explosion so loud it makes my ears ring. A huge cloud of dust rises up and covers Lee for a moment. Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru all make strange, surprised noises in the back of their throats, and the smile on my face doesn't leave. One of the things you gotta know about Lee is that, with him, you can never be so certain about what he's going to do next. He's always got something up his sleeve. Just like some of the others.

"Hey Gai, has Lee stuck with the same weight since you gave him those?" I ask as I lean over Naruto.

"It may have fluctuated here and there" Gai says with a smile before turning back towards Lee and sticking up a thumb " Alllright Lee! Now GO!"

"YES SIR!" Lee shouts as he flips off the statue, and when he charges towards Gaara and begins a series of kicks and punches, he's a blur too fast for my eyes to really keep track of.

"So fast!" Sakura says, and when I glance over there's pure wonder in her eyes.

"Lee the Windy Leaf" I say just as Lee leaps into the air and brings his leg down hard onto Gaara's head just like he did with Sasuke. Audible gasps come from the other side of the room where the rest of Gaara's team are. They can't believe their eyes.

"He did it..Lee's the first to hurt Gaara."

"That's actually kinda scary..he's been this fast the whole time?" Naruto says to himself.

Lee sends Gaara sliding across the floor.

"You're doing it!" I call down to him, and Shikamaru lets out a breath beside me

"That's incredible."

Gaara staggers back onto his feet with half his body hunched forward, not moving a muscle. That bad feeling's back, and its not coming from Gaara's sand. It's coming from Gaara himself. Whatever's about to happen isn't gunna be pretty at all.

"Please just watch yourself, Ro-Lee" I whisper under my breath as something crumbles from Gaara's face and falls to the ground. Sand. "Watch him."

"What the..what's up with this guy? His face is falling off!" Naruto says as Sakura shakes her head slowly to the side, like she can't believe what she's seeing.

"That. Is so..weird."

Shikamaru bumps his elbow against my shoulder "Look, there isn't a scratch on the guy."

"It-it's like my Shield Justu..the way it's covering his body like that." I say, and when Gaara finally lifts his face a maniacal grin is almost as wide as his Robin's Egg Eyes. And that look in them..is so different from before. From all the times I've came across him.

"Kakashi, I don't like this..I don't like it." I say, and when I look over at him I'm surprised to see my hand holding onto his forearm tightly. Kakashi shakes his head slowly, like Sakura.

"I don't like this either."

Sand wraps itself around Gaara, and it even looks like its going inside of him, and slowly his face morphs back into it's usual blank expression. Lee starts unwinding the bandages on his arms.

'"Gai, is he gunna use-"

"He sure is" Gai cuts me off as a racing ring of wind flies around Gaara, whipping his red hair all over the place. I can't help but think of a target, with Lee acting as the outer ring, Gaara's sand as the inner, and Gaara's red hair as the bulls-eye.

Lee starts kicking Gaara high into the air with the loose bandages strips from both arms hanging downwards.

"What an incredible series of kicks." Kakashi says.

I remember Lee doing this same attack with Sasuke and that one Sound Ninja..but this time is completely different. I can see it in the way Lee's kicking Gaara with much more force, the look on his face. White strips bind themselves around Gaara and Lee grabs him firmly.

"Here it comes" I say, and Lee positions both he and Gaara to point straight towards the ground before the both of them come crashing down in a blurry, spiral bullet.

When the dust starts clearing, I grip onto the railing with both hands before leaning forwards. I see Lee kneeling down onto one knee off to the side of the giant divot in the ground. And in that divot is Gaara, who's lying sort've spread-eagle with his face staring up at the ceiling in a frozen expression of complete surprise. His entire body is covered in giant cracks, like a pot that's been baked in the sun for too long. Gai and Sakura start cheering for Lee, but I just can't take my eyes off Gaara.

"That guy isn't dead, is he?" I hear Shikamaru mutter beside me.

The proctor leans over Gaara a bit to look over him, but he takes a step back when small cracking sounds start echoing off the walls, and Gaara turns a dark shade of burnt amber before pieces of him begin crumbling away. I feel my face contort some.

"When could he have done it?!" Gai says in disbelief

"Was it when the sand started wrapping itself around Gaara..and then disappeared?" I ask as I turn towards my brother, and he takes a step forward.

"It was when you closed your eyes to pray." he says to Gai. "At that moment Lee closed his eyes too, because of the pain. That's when he did it."

"Gaara managed to pull it off even though he was right where Lee wanted him to be...for him to be able to do that even when the both of them were crashing downwards.." I say before my breath hitches in my throat. Gaara manifests behind Lee with sand spilling all around him, and the dark laugh from him just makes my whole body freeze up. I groan and double over as the intense, internal ringing starts up again...and unlike all those other times before..it's painful.

"Amedoru, what is it, what's wrong?" Shikamaru asks urgently as he puts a hand on my back and bends over so that his face is level with mine.

"Shikamaru..this isn't going to end well. I can feel it." I say when my breath comes back, and he helps me stand up again slowly. Shikamaru's mouth is open like he wants to say something, but it shuts as the both of us look down again at Lee and Gaara.

"I can see it in his eyes." Shikamaru says after a moment " This guy is just bad news. I've never felt this bad a vibe from anyone before."

Gaara leans forward and brings his hand up to make a sign with an animal-like look on his face, and his sand shoots out in bursts that manage to knock Lee to the ground hard. Lee tries to get up, but I can tell that last attack he did is starting to take its toll on him. His legs are shaking so bad his knees knock together.

" Come on Ro-Lee..come on. LOOK OUT!" I shout as a giant wave of sand sweeps him away and pins him to a wall.

"Why is Lee just standing there? With his speed he should easily be able to dodge those attacks!" Sakura says, and I turn to look at her, as does Kakashi and Gai.

"Lee's last attack put a lot of strain on his body. He's in too much pain." I say, and Gai nods before he and Kakashi explain the rest to her.

Gaara's Sand Wave eventually stops, and my hand clenches into a fist at the sight of eye is shut tight with swelling and his chest is puffing in and out slowly..but he's still pushing through it. Lee manages to avoid another series of sand bursts, and he brings his arms up to cross in front of him when Gaara stands up straight with a thin smirk on his face. What could he be planning now? I think to myself..and how much more can Lee's body take?

"No Nin-Justu or Gen-Jutsu?"

"All he's got is Tai-Jutsu.."

"..and not much of that either."

"He'll be lucky if he even survives"

Multiple voices sound from around me, and when I look down at Lee, he looks up and meets my eyes before half his mouth curves up into a tired, yet genuine smile, and my heart tightens painfully. This might sound selfish but..well I already had to watch Lee go down back in the forest after giving his all..I don't want to see that happen here. Not during this exam that determines his fate in becoming a Chunin-that determines if he will advance or not. And most importantly, not in front of Gai. Lee's worked far too hard, and he's far too strong. If he doesn't come out on top in this..I have a feeling it would destroy something inside him. Lee starts dodging more of Gaara's attacks, but he stumbles, and the sand sees an opening. It knocks Lee hard right in the gut before pinning him to the ground as it pours on top of him.

"RO-LEE!" I yell, but I wouldn't be surprised if it came out as more like a scream.

Lee's screams of his own cut off as he clamps his mouth shut, but his eyes are still squeezed in pain. Gaara's sand lets up some, to my surprise, and Lee rolls over to the side out from under it before picking himself off the ground shakily and running as fast as he can.

"..Lee doesn't know how to quit. Gaara's in for a long match.." Gai says before the sound of crashing sand pouring onto Lee's back cuts him off. I run a shaky hand through my hair as the other clenches around the railing even further. Bright drops of red start appearing right where my knuckles are on the white bandage. I hate this.

"He can't go on! Make him quit before he gets himself killed!" Sakura says, and I open my mouth before it closes. The look in Lee's eyes has changed. The fire is back. He gets into his usual stance with an arm held out in front of him, and this time when Gaara strikes he's able to dodge it in a blur.

"That's it, Ro-Lee!"

Sakura notices how Lee's smiling all the while and comments about it, and my ears seem to perk up at the six words Gai just said:

"The Leaf Village Lotus blooms twice."

Kakashi spins on his heel so that he's facing Gai fully. "What? No, Gai..you didn't " he says in a stern voice.

"Yes, Kakashi. I did."

Shikamaru and I share a look before the both of us turn towards my brother and Gai.

"That Genin, that boy is able to open up the eight inner gates and use the Hidden Lotus?" Kakashi asks, and his eye squints.

What the heck are the eight inner gates?

"That's correct" Gai says, and Kakashi makes a grunting noise.

"Well if that isn't the most-" he groans "Okay. So then how many of the inner gates is he able to open now?"

" Five."

I can't take this any more.

"Kakashi, just what are you guys talking about? What's the "Eight Inner Gates?" "

"And the Hidden Lotus?" Sakura adds in.

Gai starts explaining it, but the rest of us are still confused about it, so Kakashi reaches up and lifts his headband to reveal his Sharingan, making my eyes widen. This has to be serious for my brother to do that, especially here with ninja from other villages. He starts listing off the different gates, starting with the ones located in the head, and the more he explains about them, the more I can't really believe that Gai is gunna let Lee use them. It doesn't even sound like something that can be taught! Gai jumps in and explains how with the only the first couple of gates opened, whoever opened them is able to have full, unrestricted use of their muscles. It sounds great and all to use in battle..but considering how much Lee's body suffered with just one attack..

"If Lee uses this Hidden Lotus..he could die, couldn't he?" I ask without breaking my gaze on Lee, and I can feel eyes staring at the side of my face briefly. Kakashi lets out a sigh.

"By opening the Eight Inner Gates, you can obtain power greater than even the Hokages. The only drawback is..I don't know what Lee means to you, Gai. But I shouldn't have to tell you that we never bring our personal feelings into play. I didn't think you were capable of this." Kakashi's voice comes out like a bite at those last words, and overall he sounds angry. Kakashi's known Lee ever since that day he dropped me off at Gai's house.

"You have no right!" Gai says in an equally angry tone before he nods his head over at me, and both Kakashi's eyes seem to narrow even more. " You may have known Lee since he and Amedoru were no higher than my waist, but you don't know anything about him! Anything at all! That boys got somethin to prove, and he's willing to prove it even at the cost of his own life. And I am determined to help him reach his goal. Not for his sake, but because that goal is worth reaching for."

Lee's stance changes as something almost invisible surrounds him, making his hair fly straight up. Naruto, Sakura, and I let out a breath as Shikamaru copies my body language and puts both hands onto the railing as he leans against it from next to me. Lee's face takes on a deep, angry red tint, and his eyes are like two deep pools. I don't even think he's got them opened. Tiny pieces of rock levitate from the ground and float up to Lee's face.

"So much power." I breathe out

Lee's arms lower down to his sides, exposing his face fully. Veins are bulging out all over his forehead, and his eyes that were once two round, black, happy orbs are now stark white and full of an emotion I just can't really name. His chakra's so strong it's visible, and it makes the ground beneath his feet crumble .

"He's up to the third gate, the gate of life. Now he'll attack." Kakashi says certiantly.

"Oh no, not yet." Gai says, voicing my thoughts. Gai said that Lee is able to open six of those eight gates.

The aura around Lee splits into two colors-blue and green, and he yells out as the fourth gate is open.

"Incredible! Nobody can do that through sheer will power. He's a genius." Kakashi says again.

Lee takes off towards Gaara so fast the floor under his feet rises up in great big chunks, and the room is suddenly filled with dust and smoke, but through it I can see Gaara's head as it snaps back severely from Lee's leg as it makes contact with the underside of Gaara's jaw. I throw up an arm and lean backwards from the railing as pieces of stone whip around me.

"Where'd they go?!" Naruto shouts

"Up there!" Shikamaru says as he points upwards, and I crane my neck back. Gaara looks like he's suspended in mid-air, and I can barely make out the tiny cracks forming all over his body. His sand is just now reaching him.

"Lee's got him in a good spot. Gaara's vulnerable now." I say, and Lee pops up out of nowhere and starts kicking Gaara's tail all over the place. His skin is so red, it's like he's been set on fire.

"I can't see that sand armor lasting much longer." Shikamaru says, and when I look more closely I can make out the multiple sparkling flakes of sand as they crumble off of Gaara, who's now just as invisible to my eyes as Lee is.

"His muscles are tearing themselves apart!" Kakashi says in disbelief with disturbance tinting his voice.

Lee's slowed down his speed to where he and Gaara are visible again. I can't see what Kakashi's talking about until Lee's hand curls into a fist far too slowly. In fact his whole body looks like it's jerking.

"He's gotta end it now. His body's starting to destroy itself!" I exclaim as I spare a quick glance over at Gai. I'd never question Gai's genuine love for Lee..but I just can't believe he would teach him this when he knew what the price would be.

"HIDDEN LOTUS!" Lee shouts as he yanks Gaara up by the sash around his waist to deliver the final blow, and when the both of them make contact with the ground even more debris comes at us all. Is this what it feels like to be caught in a sandstorm? I can hear two separate cracking sounds, and both make my muscles clench painfully. Lee comes to a rolling stop on the ground out of the giant cloud of dirt and sand. Gaara well..I can't even see him anymore.

"Unbelievable!" Naruto cheers as he throws a fist into the air. "He did it!"

I can see Gaara now, and when he comes into sight my hand flies over my mouth. "That's..how is that possible?"

"His sand..how did it cushion him like that?!" Shikamaru says.

Sand in the shape of a giant hand forms in front of Gaara as Lee manages to get on his hands and knees. But the sand is moving far too quickly

"Ro-Lee you have to get away!" I shout down, but when Lee tries lurching forwards his face twists in pain. He's stuck.

The sand twists its way onto Lee's leg and arm..and it's all quiet until Lee's sounds of complete agony punches a hole right through my chest. I can hear his bones snapping to pieces.. A spray of blood stains the white bandages on his arm, and for a brief second my eyes travel down to my own..

_Flashback:_

_"One-hundred three!..one -hundred four!- Ha! - one-hundred five!..one-hundred six-Ha!"_

_Amedoru peeked from around a tree as the sounds of Lee's grunts following the dull thud of skin on wood filled the small clearing. Kakashi was away on another mission, and he had told Amedoru she would stay with Gai until he returned. She had followed Lee to this small clearing in the early hours of the morning, and had been standing in the same position, watching him train for hours and hours. Oddly enough..Amedoru wasn't tired._

_She was fascinated._

_She knew from Gai that Lee had no other jutsu skills besides Tai-Jutsu, but that didn't stop Lee from training harder than anyone she had ever met. He was passionate and determined, and Amedoru felt a deep admiration for him. He was always encouraging her to work hard. He helped inspire her to achieve the very best of herself, to want to. To ignore what others said about whatever flaws and faults she had. Lee was only a year older than Amedoru, but to her, he was much older. Wiser._

_Lee's counting continued on until he groaned in pain and doubled over when his bandaged fist made contact with the wooden post. Amedoru gasped and took a step forward, but her foot was caught in mid-air. Lee was..laughing. Laughing as if someone had told him a funny joke, laughing like he wasn't in pain. Amedoru decided to come out of her hiding spot._

_"Ro-Lee, why are you laughing? You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as she came up beside him and spotted the widening red spots staining the white bandages wrapped around his hand. Lee's laughing died down as he straightened up, and he smiled when he saw her._

_" I am laughing because I am even stronger than I was yesterday!"_

_Amedoru looked at him with a puzzled expression._

_" I can feel it, Amedoru. And when I look at my hands, the pain I feel doesn't bother me much like it used to because it reminds me that I am working hard. To achieve my goal, to become the best I can be with or without any Gen-Justu or Nin-Justi, then I will forget about any pain that comes to me, because I believe that it will only make me even stronger." Lee said with a smile, and after a moment, Amedoru smiled back._

_"Ro-Lee, will you..will you help me to work hard, like you?" she asked timidly, and Lee placed a warm hand on her shoulder._

_"It would be my pleasure."_

_Lee and Amedoru sat down sat by side, leaning against the wooden post stained with Lee's fresh blood, and after a while Lee's face lit up as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a long strip of white bandaged._

_"Here, Amedoru, hold out your arm."_

_And long afterwards when Gai was walking through the woods, he parted a piece of foliage blocking his vision and smiled at the two sweating figures outlined by the orange sunset. Lee was leading the count off as both he and Amedoru stuck at the wooden post in front of them, Lee using his leg. Amedoru's left arm was bandages exactly like both of Lee's all the way from her elbow down to the fist that struck at the piece of wood in time with Lee's voice._

I don't even realize I just tried to hop over the railing until a pair of hands grab both my arms and yank me backwards.

"No, don't!" Shikamaru says to me urgently.

" Let go!"

"I know, Amedoru, believe me. But you could get him disqualified. It's too dangerous."

Shikamaru's hands loosen their grip on my arms when I stop struggling, but they don't leave. He's probably trying to reassure me somehow, comfort me. I push myself against the railing and lean over it as Lee's cries carry on.

"YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" I scream down, but my voice might as well be lost in the intense roaring Gaara's sand is making. "GAARA!"

And then it all just..stops. The only thing I hear is my ragged breathing..and ever so slowly, Gaara's head turns almost mechanically until his robin's egg eyes are boring right into mine, widening. A flood of emotions rush through me to replace the internal ringing, and I wonder if Gaara can see them through my own eyes as I stare right on back.

Anger

Confusion

Helplessness

Understanding.

That last one hardly makes sense to me in my mind. Why should I feel anything of the sort for Gaara after what he's done to Lee? But somewhere in my heart..I just feel it. A part of me understands that maybe..maybe the person staring at me isn't the actual Gaara. But who am I kidding? I don't even know him. It could be seconds, minutes..but Gaara's gaze never drops. He doesn't even blink, and I'm pretty sure I'm doing the same. Just stop, I think to myself, and as if he heard me, Gaara 's head finally turns away from me sharply. He brings up a shaky hand and creates another huge wave of sand, but before I can even gasp a blazing gust of wind whips the hair on the side of my head around wildly before it stops abruptly. The sand doesn't get a chance to touch Lee again because Gai just sweeps it aside with his hand with the most solid look I've ever seen on his face. Gaara sits up and stares at Gai a moment before he clutches his head with his hands and groans in pain. What the? Did Gai use a jutsu on him or something?

"But why? He failed. Why save him?" Gaara rasps out.

" Because he's .." Gai trails off "because he's..my student. And also because he is precious to me."

Gaara's head snaps back like Gai struck at him, and I can see how confused his eyes look. It's like he's never seen anything like this happen before. Like the fact that Gai protecting Lee is alien to him. Gaara just sits there and stares at Gai another long moment, before he does something that completely shocks me. He stands up and starts walking away with the excess sand re-forming into the gourd on his back.

"I quit." He says with annoyance and bitterness in his voice. I don't even need to listen to Kakashi when he says it: Gaara may have quit..but Lee still lost as soon as Gai jumped in. The thought of it just churns my stomach. I watch Gaara as he continues walking away slowly until my ears pick up on a shuffling, scraping sound. And even though I don't want to see what it is, I force myself to look anyways. And when I do, my eyes begin filling with a burning pressure. Drops of Lee's blood begin dripping onto the ground in a slow and steady.

_"..To achieve my goal, to become the best I can be with or without any Gen-Justu or Nin-Justu, then I will forget about any pain that comes to me, because I believe that it will only make me even stronger."_

Lee's standing on his feet in his defensive position despite how horribly his body's trembling. And his glazed over eyes..

"Lee" I croak out, and Shikamaru's hands on my shoulders tighten.

Gai starts talking to Lee in heavy voice being choked off by his own tears as he steps forward and grasps him by his shoulders, and Kakashi sighs.

"He's out cold. Nothing keeping him up from sheer will-power."

The hand clutching onto the railing starts pulsating, and tremors travel up my arm. " He's always been like that, ever since I've known him. Kids would always make fun of Lee because he lacks any Gen-Jutsu or Nin-Justu, but he never let it stop him from building himself up even when he was near the point of total exhaustion. All he's wanted is to prove to people that he can be a great ninja, be someone people can admire and look up to. Lee just has something incredibly special about him, and it's not his Tai-Justu, or the fact that he can open up the Inner Gates. It's just _him_." I say as Gai brings Lee's unconscious body close to him in a hug, and my head sags forward some. Lee..you've always been one of the people I look up to the most. And in my eyes, you're one of the most special people that is dear to me.

Maybe now people will really start seeing it, too.

Sakura tries going down to Lee but Kakashi stops her " Sakura, there is nothing you can do for him. There are times when sympathetic words only make things worse."

"Shikamaru"

"Yeah?" He asks as he turns his head to look at me. Naruto leaps down to the ground and dashes off towards Lee as the medics begin lifting him onto a stretcher .

"Do you think that things like this just happen on their own?"

"I.." he begins. " I think we're not supposed to really know the answer. I don't know Lee, but you're right. That guy really is something."

The medic pulls Gai aside and starts talking to him in a hushed tone. Gai's got his facial-guard up, but his arms cross in front of his chest.

"I have to go down there. I heard what Kakashi said to Sakura, but I just need to go."

Shikamaru gives me a thoughtful look before he nods his head in understanding. One of his hands leave my shoulders while the other one gives it a final squeeze before I slide out underneath the railing.

"Amedoru." Kakashi says just as I'm about to let myself drop to the ground. I crane my head around and see Kakashi's stern look..but even so, he nods his head much like Shikamaru just did. If anyone here understands how close Lee is to me, it's Kakashi.

I come to a stop beside Naruto as the both of us stare down at Lee without a word. I want to reach out and hold Lee's hand, but that would only make things worse. Besides..what if he woke up screaming or something? I wouldn't forgive myself.

"..I'm sorry, but his days as a Shinobi are over.."

My head snaps up in the direction of the medic, but he's replaced quickly by Gai as he walks in a daze over towards us and stops across us on the other side of Lee. The medics come and start carrying Lee away, and I start to follow behind before stopping. When I passed Naruto, I saw his whole body shaing. He must have overheard that medic too.

"There's no way. Not-not Lee." I say "It can't be."

Naruto starts goin off behind me in a choked up voice before it's cut off all of a sudden.

"That's enough Naruto." I hear my brother say.

"B-but Sensei, all he wanted was to prove himself against Neji and Sasuke." Naruto says.

"And that is what may have led to his downfall. He was fixated on that goal but he sacrificed his body, his future to obtain it. Now that goal is unattainable. But your wrong about one thing, Naruto. It wasn't just Sasuke and Neji he wanted to face..it was you too."

The more Kakashi goes on, the more angry I'm starting to feel.

"Do you really believe that?" I ask, and I swallow a bit to try and keep my voice from cracking. " Do you really believe, after all this time you've known him, that he's really done for?"

Footsteps shuffle up beside me. "You know I believe in him just as much as you do. But there are times when you have no choice but to face reality, and things just happen. The most we can do for Lee now is to be there for him."

I know my brother's right, but his words still bite through me, despite how gentle his voice is. His arm slides around my shoulders as his hand rests on my shoulder..and when I look up, I see that Gaara is watching us. I slip away from Kakashi and start walking towards Gaara, and that intense, internal ringing is back again and seems to grow even more severe with every step I take. I stop in front of him, and his arms fold against his chest as he looks at me with eyes like subtle slits. And I don't know if its from my anger..my disappointment, that makes me bring my arm back and curl my already-banged up right hand into a fist before swinging it down towards the side of Gaara's face. But a hand shoots out and stops me. When I turn around., I expect to see Kakashi, maybe even the proctor. But it's nether one.

It's Naruto.

"He's not worth it, Amedoru." Naruto says without breaking his hardened eyes away from Gaara. His hand slowly lowers my arm back down to my side.

" Gaara." I begin, and I'm surprised at how soft, at how calm my voice comes out. "I just thought that maybe..that." I stutter out slowly, and when I lift my eyes back to his, I notice how they aren't slit anymore. "I still mean what I said before, but I just don't understand." Gaara's head dips forward in something like a nod after a moment before he starts fading away into sand, all the while still staring at me with those robin's egg eyes, and when he's gone I just stare down at the place his feet once were. This is all too familiar to me.

Flashback:

_"Hey Gaara." I say, and to my surprise he doesn't disappear in spirals of swirling sand. Instead his feet stay planted on the underside of the tree branch slightly above me. That internal ringing feeling goes off again and spreads upwards to my head and through my arms from my stomach. Gaara doesn't say anything back, doesn't even nod his head. He just keeps staring at me, like he's searching for something. And I just stare right back at him, waiting for him to say something back. And when he finally does his quiet, monotone voice holds a hint of curiosity._

_" Aren't you afraid of me?"_

_I feel my head tilt to the side just a little._

_"No, I'm not."_

* * *

"Congratulations to those of you proceeding to the final rounds of the Chunin Exams. Well, there's one person still missing, but still, congratulations." the proctor says from in front of us, and I breath in deeply to try and stifle a massive yawn I know's gunna come any minute now. The proctor stops talking, and no one else is starting in, so I take that time to look around at all the people lined up with me. There's six of us from the Leaf Village including myself.

Neji Hyuga

Shino

Naruto

Shikamaru

Sasuke

And two from the Sand:

Gaara

Temari

And just the sight of that one Sound Ninja still manages to make me want to growl out loud.

The more I go over the list of names in my head, the more uneasy I'm starting to feel. Not only are the majority, if not all, of these people all dangerous on the battle field..they're also my friends. Well, the ones from the Hidden Leaf, at least. I wouldn't mind going up against that Sound Ninja Dosu again..in fact I'm actually kind've anticipating it, but I haven't really gotten to see all Temari can do with that fan of hers. As for Gaara..well after what happened with Lee..I just don't know.

"Alright, listen now. I am going to explain to you the Final Rounds." Lord Hokage says as he tips his hat forwards a little " In the final rounds, each of you will put your battle skills on display. You'll demonstrate the power and control that you've achieved in your respective disciplines. Accordingly, the final battles will commence one month from now."

"That's nice." I say out loud. A whole month to rest up and prepare. It's not really a whole lot of time, but still, it's something.

"Wait, we're not gunna do it right here and now?" Naruto asks in confusion with his face scrunched up.

"This is to provide a suitable period of preparation." Lord Hokage continues.

"What do you mean by that?" A different voice calls out. I think it was Neji.

"Simply this. In addition to announcing the conclusion of the preliminary matches to each country's leaders, we must also have some time to prepare and distribute the summons for the final selection. Not to mention that you examinees are going to need time to prepare something this important. To know your adversaries and prepare yourselves you need time, even though up to this point all of your battles have been real battles, as I'm sure you can all attest, they were conducted on the premise you were fighting an unknown enemy. That is no longer the case now that you've battled each other.."

Hm..I wonder if he means that the real reason he's giving us all a month is because he wants each of us to further hone, and maybe even invent fighting skills that'll be completely new compared from the ones all of us have already shown here. But that would mean that the final rounds would basically be like meeting and fighting each other all over again.

"So in order to make the finals fair and just, we're giving you this month. Each of you must embrace this opportunity to practice hard and learn some new tricks-"

There it is.

"- because by now everyone here knows your techniques, so using your own, familiar ones are a sure way to loose in the finals. Oh, and be sure to get plenty of rest as well."

I should have plenty of time for that. But these final rounds are just another step up the path. I have to be sure to push myself even harder-go beyond.

"So with all of that behind us, I'd like to begin winding things up. But before we can bring things to an end, first there is one more important matter to take of for the final rounds."

"Let's get on with it then!" Naruto shouts out. "I mean how long do we have to wait to start training?!"

"In a calm, orderly fashion, Naruto." The Hokage shoots him a look " all you you are going to take a slip of paper from the box Anko is holding."

"Just stay where you are. I'll come to you." Anko protests before she heads over to us with the box held in front of her. All of us reach in and pull out an individual small, square white piece of paper, and when I open mine a large bolded "5" fills up almost the entire square. Our proctor from the first exam, Ibiki, has us tell him what number each of us has starting from my far left. Looks like Sasuke's gunna be number four.

"Good. Now I'm going to tell you how the final selection tournament's going to work."

Naruto, Shikamaru, and I all react at once.

"HUH?!"

"Is that what the numbers are for? Drawing lots?"

"Are we being bet on or something?"

"Ibiki, show them the pairings." Lord Hokage says, and when the clipboard flips around to face us, we all take a step forward.

Its been set up as a bracket. Naruto's in the very first match, and he's going up against Neji. I look for Shikamaru and see he's supposed to be in the very last match against Dosu, and whoever wins that is going up against Temari. Sasuke has to fight Gaara..and I have to fight Shino.

"May I ask you a question?" Shikamaru asks as he raises his hand, and Lord Hokage nods.

"You may."

All right, if this is a tournament, does that mean there's only going to be one winner? I mean, only one of us is going to be able to become a Chunin then? "

"Actually, it's quite the contrary. There's going to be several judges for the final rounds, including myself, the Shinobi leaders, and the Kazekage. The lords from the various countries that ultimately will be assigning your missions. Through this tournament those judges will be able to make a thorough evaluation of your abilities. Then they will decide whether any or all of you posses the qualities required of a Chunin.."

Lord Hokage carries on, and the more he does the more I realize that we're all being handed a double-edged sword. All, or none of us can become a Chunin. In the words of Shikamaru..what a drag.

* * *

Kakashi isn't waiting up on the balcony after the Hokage dismisses us, and when I turn my head around Naruto's gone too. There's only one place the both of them could be. I head back up to the infirmary and spot both Naruto and my brother by the reception desk almost as soon as I push the door open, and I smile. I already had a feeling earlier that Naruto was going to ask my brother to help train him, so I figured that the three of us could train together, and help each other build up. I know the fact that I'm asking my own brother and sensei for help training is odd..but I wouldn't feel right if I didn't ask and just expected him to help me.

"But Kakashi-Sensei, why can't you train me?!" Naruto throws both arms up.

"I have..other matters to handle. I don't have time to deal with you, Naruto." My brother says, and I recoil back a little at the way he said that second half. It sounded almost forceful. Naruto starts growling as I walk up beside him.

"AHA! You're going to train Sasuke, aren't you?!" Naruto explodes, and I have to duck down to avoid his arm that snaps back towards me.

"Is that true?" I ask as Naruto whips around to see what new teacher Kakashi got for him.

"I'm sorry, Amedoru. But right now Sasuke is vulnerable and unstable now that he has that Curse Mark..I have to keep him close."

I can feel my head nod, just like it always does when Kakashi breaks news like this to me. A part of me is jealous, I admit..but another, bigger part of me is just plain sad. I said before that I'm grateful for all the time I get with my brother, but still, I do wish it were more. If Kakashi hadn't said he found Naruto another teacher, I would have suggested that the two us of could just help each other train on our own, but now I can't even do that.

"Why can't we all just train together as a team? Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and me?" I ask

Kakashi steps close to me and puts both hands on my shoulders. " Just make sure you stay close to them, to the people you've known your whole life. Do not go off by yourself, understand?" and then he leans down and says in a hushed tone " Orochimaru could be here in the village."

I nod. The tone of Kakashi's voice hardened on that last sentance, and the look in his eye in urgent. I feel my heartbeat quicken. But if Kakashi is so worried about Orochimaru..then why would he leave for the whole month?

" I'm not going to take off just yet." He says. Is my face really giving me away that bad?

One of Kakashi's hand travels up to sit on-top my head as he ruffles my hair softly. " But when I do leave, just make sure to stay close with the people who love you, Ame. Like you've done your whole life."

He tilts my head back so our eyes meet, and I just stare into his a long time before he turns around and starts walking away towards Sasuke's room. And I cant help but feel that with every step he takes, he might as well be contradicting himself, in a way.

As for Orochimaru..I don't think I'll ever forget the things he spoke to me, but if he really is in the village somewhere, I have no doubt he'll get a chance to escape.


End file.
